Marching Marauders Band Camp
by Band Geek Authoress
Summary: Part one of the Marching Marauders Diaries: Every marching season begins with BAND CAMP! Chapter 14 will be updating sometime in late December, but until then enjoy the ensuing one shots! 12/5 at 2 AM: One shot added, check chapter 1!
1. As Time Goes By: A Notice to Readers

**Yeah… so this isn't a legit update. Sorry. I just wanted to explain why the story hasn't updated since May 23rd, especially considering I was planning on finishing it up over the summer so that I could then write one shots about the characters. Unfortunately, I got a new laptop at graduation in June and I wasn't able to install Word on it until late August, so there went my plans of writing during the summer. In August, I started my first semester as a freshman at a state university (and I'm loving it), so not only did I lose a lot of my free time, but a lot of my inspiration – most of the events of the story were based on my observations of various dramas in the band (such as lesbian color guard members, sudden breakups and hookups, and making out with best friends, all of which I can gladly say did not happen to me).**

**I've been working on quick one-shots though, and have one written from Noah's point of view… well it's mostly finished. I also have one that has absolutely nothing to do with the characters from this story, but I thought it was pretty good, that I wrote in Intro to Fiction when we were discussing the modern gothic fiction genre and its emphasis on uncertainty. (I know, it sounds heady to me too!) If you guys want, I can post the random one this weekend. Then, when my finals are done on Friday night, I'll take the weekend to chillax and finish the Noah one shot before Christmas and post it then as a present to you all. After that, I'll have very precious little to do until January 12, when I'll be starting an internship at Walt Disney World (squee!), so I'll try and knock out a little bit more of this week that never seems to end.**

**Thanks in advance,**

**Band Geek Authoress**

_ETA (December 05 at 2:11 AM EST)_  
_So, since it turns out I have even less free time than expected tomorrow, I figured I'd just post the random story here for now. Later I'll find somewhere it might actually fit. The ending is a little... eh. Doesn't quite read like the same person from the beginning, so... yup. But I think it's pretty good for being written in under an hour. Enjoy!_

Seven months, two weeks, and three days ago, I met him. It's hard to miss him once you've met him. He towered over everyone. He dwarfed me by a foot, at least. His ice blue eyes made him even more menacing. Not very many people got to know him. He told us his name was Lucas. I didn't know his last name. I don't think anybody ever got close enough to know that much about him.

Seven months and six days ago, he showed up at my front door. I don't know how he found the house. I guess he looked me up in the student roster or something. He said he needed help. I asked him what he needed help with. He hesitated before saying "math". I tutored him in math, even though we both knew he didn't need my help with any of it. I figured he was just trying to hit on me.

Five months, one week, and five days ago, he asked me out. Most everybody seemed surprised that the ice king had melted enough to let me in. It seemed I was the one person closest to him in the world, yet I didn't know anything about him, even where he lived. I still believed everybody was wrong to be shocked.

Five months, one week, and four days ago, I bought a pair of heels so that I could match his height a little more. It was my first pair. I wore them almost every day.

Two months and three days ago, he dumped me. He didn't say why. I stopped wearing my heels.

Two weeks ago, he showed up at my front door again, for the first time in nearly a month and a half. He said he was sorry. I asked if he meant about the breakup. He said no and left. For the past two weeks, I tried to figure out what he meant. It nearly drove me insane.

Yesterday, I put my heels on again. I had missed them. I still knew his number by heart, so I called him. He answered. "Hello?" his once familiar voice said. "What are you sorry about?" I spit out. He sighed. He said "you'll know soon enough", a distant chill taking over his voice. Then he hung up.

Today, even though I wouldn't find out about it until after lunch, he died. His first period teacher was taking attendance and he appeared to be asleep. His classmates thought nothing of it until they noticed he wasn't waking up. They say he was as icy cold to the touch as his gaze always seemed to be. I thought that was a poetic way to describe an awkward corpse, slumped over a textbook.

Two hours ago, the coroner's report came in. He said that Lucas had a rare disease. He said it might have been contagious. He said Lucas must have contracted it about two and a half months ago. He asked me if Lucas had known about the disease. I said no, even though I had the feeling I was lying. He asked if I'd been in physical contact with Lucas during that time period. I said yes.

Tomorrow, the newspaper won't write a thing, except maybe a half-hearted obituary on page 12. Our classmates will be studying, obsessing over old presidents, modern science, and new crushes. Lucas will still be a mystery to everybody. I will be in quarantine, in case I caught whatever killed my first love. I hope they let me bring my heels.


	2. She's In Love

_**Author's Note: Hi! I'm a brand new authoress, and I'm a band geek, hence the name... I've had this idea in my head for a while, so I decided to just go with it... Still needs a beta, if anybody's willing to volunteer.**_

_**Disclaimer: None of these characters are based entirely on anybody I know.**_

_**And now, for the first installment of the Marching Marauders Diaries, a series following a fictional band throughout marching season. Where do all marching seasons start? Band camp!**_

"Hurry up! We're going to be late!" a girl shouted, running with a trumpet in her hand.

"Maybe we should have, you know, LEFT YOUR HOUSE ON TIME!" another girl, chasing the first one, yelled

"No need to give me a flute 'tude, Alanis!" the trumpeter smirked, despite panting heavily.

"It's a PICCOLLO, Calanthe. Can we take a break?" Apparently a woodwind, Alanis pleaded with her friend. "Mr. Jonathan is going to make us do pushups for cutting it so close to the start of practice anyway!"

"Fine, fine… Only because I'm so physically unfit, though… Something tells me being short of breath will seriously impede my ability to play the high notes." Calanthe wheezed. "We don't all play instruments that naturally create dog whistles, after all."

"That was cold, sis. Very cold. I'll remember that next time you want to steal all of the old maids out of my popcorn." Alanis giggled.

Out of the blue, a male almost three years older than the two girls popped up behind them. "Calanthe, Alanis, why aren't you on the field yet?" he asked with a straight face, ice blue eyes glaring through the two girls.

"Sorry Noah. A certain high brass didn't set her alarm clock this morning." Alanis explained nervously.

"Me? You're the snobby woodwind who took an hour in the shower!" Calanthe glared at her sister.

"You're the one who had to make a four course breakfast!"

"Girls, quit the bickering. You had better get to the field before I do, or else I won't be able to overlook your being late." Noah interrupted the two girls. "You'd better consider yourselves lucky. Mr. Jonathan doesn't take too kindly to underclassmen leisurely strolling to practice."

"Yes sir." The girls answered simultaneously.

"Ooh, the sir is a good touch, but no need to suck up to me. Just get to the field already." Noah nodded, smiling slightly. "See you there."

As the drum major walked away, Calanthe and Alanis both swooned. "God, what a nice bod!" Alanis giggled.

"The rest of him's pretty amazing, too. He's super nice and caring and everything! His girlfriend is so lucky!" Calanthe agreed. "Three years of dating that hunk of a drum major... yum!"

"Speaking of 'yum', we'll get to enjoy the view a lot more if we hurry up!" Alanis urged, once again running towards the field.

An hour later, after multiple inefficient runthroughs of the first few sets in the Marching Marauder's field show for this school year, Mr. Jonathan finally decided to call a water break. "Hurry up, get some water, stretch out a little bit, and then come back over here to the podium."

"Wow. This is starting to feel like a brick wall." Alanis whispered to Calanthe.

One of the upperclassmen, a female trombone player named Nina walked up to the two girls. "It certainly feels like trying to drive a toy car up the Great Wall. I mean, we're making quite a good bit of progress for just starting the first day of band camp, but moving so quickly is actually putting us backwards."

"Urgh. This would be a lot harder if some of the boys out here weren't so tasty…" Calanthe groaned.

"Ooh, I hear you, Calanthe. I've gone to school with Noah for years, and every year he gets yummier and yummier. At this rate, he'll be hotter than the sun by the end of the season." Nina giggled. "I used to have a crush on him, but liking Noah makes Leah hate your guts, and she's quite a formidable enemy."

"Leah?" Alanis asked.

"Yeah, you know, his girlfriend, the band captain, cheerleading captain, valedictorian, basically Little Miss Perfect?" Calante explained, scowling.

"But she's a bitch." Nina whispered.

Mr. Jonathan, noticing the girls standing around gossiping, motioned them over. "I would like to talk to the entire band, peanut gallery included."

"Sorry, sir!" Nina snapped, running at a breakneck pace towards the podium.

"Now, as you all know, we have a lot of potential out on this field today. But potential means nothing if we don't put in the work. We will keep working on the sets we have for the first song until noon. Then we'll go inside and eat lunch, but don't overeat because you don't want to vomit out in the heat. After lunch, you'll split up into sectionals, where you will meet your instructors and section leaders, accommodate yourselves with your fellow section members, and then practice the first song until your fingers, lips, and ears bleed. Do I make myself clear?" Mr. Jonathan yelled.

"YES SIR!" snapped the sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with a few "Yeah" and "okay" comments coming from the freshmen.

"Now back out there! Opening set!" Calanthe meandered her way to her set.

"If you don't run now, you will run instead of eat lunch!" yelled Leah.

"I'm running, I'm running!" Calanthe mumbled, jogging to her set near the 50.

"Ew. Why do they serve us this junk?" Noah grumbled. "I wish we could eat some actually good food!"

"I hear ya, man. What's wrong with some nice hearty pasta, or a huge one-pound burger? But ham and cheese sandwiches? And squeeze cheese, at that!" the snare drummer groaned, absently twirling a stick in one hand while poking at the bread of his sandwich with the other.

"You're such a connoisseur, Jason." Noah sighed, rolling his eyes. _Damn he's so sexy when he fiddles with the drumstick like that… oh God please don't let him look under the table… _he thought.

"Hey, hun. What are you guys talking about?" a tan blonde girl asked, plopping down beside Noah.

_Oh thank God. Crisis averted._

"Just how much we hate this food, Leah." Jason laughed.

"Oh, I know! It's so full of carbs! I wish they would just give us salad or something!" Leah whined.

"Babe, where's your horn?" Noah asked, his mind now clear enough for him to speak.

"Mr. Aiden needed to show a freshman how to play the high notes." Leah rolled her eyes. "That guy is such a perv. Hun, I wish I could join you in your rounds checking on sectionals, instead of sit in a room with him and the rest of high brass." She added, hanging onto Noah's arm.

"Babe, you know I'm helping woodwinds today, since Mrs. Jeannette won't be here until tomorrow." Noah backpedaled.

"Gross. Could you save the cutesy nicknames for after practice?" Jason grimaced.

"Shush, Jason. Just because you don't have a girlfriend doesn't mean you have to be jealous of Noah." Leah snarled.

Leah, you're such a bitch. Why are we still going out? Oh yeah. You're my beard, and you don't even know it.

"It's 12:30. We should probably head to our areas." Noah mumbled, trying to defuse the situation.

"You're right." Jason nodded. "Percussion! Our sectionals are going to be here in the cafeteria, with front ensemble and drumline together. We are one section, so learn to love being best buds!" he snarled across the cafeteria.

"High brass! Band room!" Leah yelled.

"Low brass will meet in the drama room!" Luis, a tuba player and the low brass leader, snapped at his section.

"Woodwinds, you'll be with me today in the theatre! Don't mess with any of the props the drama team has on stage, either!" Noah smirked fiercely.

"Guard, we will be in the gymnasium. Bring your practice flags and the swing flags, too. We'll be learning the routine to the first song today!" A big voice came out of the small guard captain, Lily.

"You have thirty minutes to be in your assigned areas and be ready. Anybody who's late will be severely punished!" shouted Mr. Jonathan. "And there will be no messing around in sectionals. I will be on patrol to make sure everybody is working."

"Yes sir!"

"How did you get in here already, Freshman?" Leah asked, stumbling over Calanthe. "And why were you sitting in the doorway?"

"Because I was tired. And the name's Calanthe, pleased to meet you!" Calanthe said sweetly.

"Shush, Fattie. I'm surprised you tore yourself away from the food and got here early. I mean, I just announced where we were going five minutes ago. I didn't think you could move so fast." Leah glared, practically hissing at the poor trumpet player.

"I'm surprised you tore yourself away from our drum major, Slut." Calanthe shot back. "Now that we're done with the hurtful namecalling, can we actually get ready for practice? I would prefer to not deal with drama this entire year."

"Sure thing, Cassie. I get the feeling we're going to be real close this year…" Leah smiled brightly.

_After all, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I saw how you were checking out Noah's nice, tight ass earlier, and that is mine!_ Leah internalized. _This year will be hell for you!_

"Hello, ladies. We getting well acquainted in here?" Mr. Aiden said, sensing the anger in the air.

"Perfectly, sir." Leah said, grinning wickedly.

"Um, sir… I never got the music for the show." Calanthe spoke up, while the French horn freshman behind Mr. Aiden quietly gave Leah her horn back.

"It should have come in the mail, Miss…" Mr. Aiden said, his voice intonating a question.

"Calanthe. And I know it should have, because my sister Alanis got her flute music, but mine never came."

"Well, I'll have to scrounge you up a copy. I'll be right back. Leah, make sure everybody pulls out the music for the first song and gets ready for warm-ups." Mr. Aiden instructed, leaving to ask Mr. Jonathan where he kept the music.

"You heard him, Freshman. Get set up for practice!" Leah snarled.

"We've still got twenty minutes. Why don't you go screw your boyfriend?" Calanthe snarled back.

"That's twenty pushups, Freshman. Or are you too fat?"

"I'm in better shape than you are. Well, unless you count on your back." Venom filled the air until a sophomore horn player wandered into the room.

"Hello, ladies. Are we arguing over who I shall woo this year?" the male asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, can it Hai." Leah mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"We already went out once, in like sixth grade." Calanthe pointed out.

"Fine, fine. Well, Captain, what are we practicing today?" Hai asked, saluting Leah.

"You know as well as I do that the first day in sectionals is spent making sure the freshmen know what they are doing, despite planning to practice the show. The guard's lucky enough to have a week of practice before camp officially starts. We have to make do with the time we have."

"I'll have you know I know exactly what I'm doing!" Calanthe protested, glaring at Leah.

Mr. Aiden walked into the room at exactly this point. "Miss Calanthe, it would appear that Mr. Jonathan never mailed your music. He sends his apologies and your part." He announced with a flourish, handing a manila envelope to Calanthe. "Go home tonight and number the measures."

"Thank you, sir!" Calanthe grinned as the rest of high brass trickled in one at a time. Somehow, through sectionals she was able to ignore Leah's glaring.

"Hello, sir!" Alanis said, waving calmly at Noah.

"Hello, Alanis. I see you're on time today?" the blue-eyed drum major asked with a grin.

"Yes, sir!" Alanis answered enthusiastically.

"You really don't have to call me sir…" _Please dear God in heaven, don't call me sir!_

"Yes, s… I mean, okay Noah."

"Are you ready for that nasty piccolo part in the third song?"

"No. I doubt I'll get the solo anyway. I'm not exactly… good… at piccolo. I think my family's dog hates me…" Alanis giggled furiously.

"What's with the giggling? Please tell me you don't have a crush on me like every other girl here, your sister included." Noah frowned.

"Somebody's egotistical." Alanis scowled jokingly. "Confucius say drum major who think he is hot is really not."

"I don't think Confucius would use the word hot." Noah laughed. "Come on, let's get inside and get set up. We only have fifteen minutes."

"Yes s… I mean okay!" Alanis said, wondering how it was everybody wanted a slice of drum major pie.

_**This chapter was originally called "A Slice of Drum Major Pie", but I decided to test myself and name every chapter after a showtune.**_

_**ETA: Okay, five months later and I re-read the blasted chapter to realize that I forgot to change Alanis and Calanthe's interraction at the beginning. You see, when the story first popped into my head, they were BFFs. (Forgive the teenaged jargon). But then I realized that, with my fetish for twins and all that, they should be sisters instead. But this chapter still referred to them as "friends". Whoops! Somewhere along the line, another change came along... Alanis went from all-out crushing on Noah to (hopefully in a future story) one of the few girls in band who doesn't want to date him. Although she does still admire his body. Teehee.  
**_


	3. Think Of Me

_**Author's Note: The second, angst-filled chapter! Yaaaaay!**_

_**Disclaimer: Any resemblance to persons alive or dead, fictional or real is merely coincidental.**_

"Ugh. This field is going to kill me!" Calanthe groaned after another attack at drill.

"At least we got past those blasted circles! I swear, some people have no idea how to guide." An anonymous junior baritone player pointed out.

"No talking! And if I remember correctly, Caitlin, you owe me twenty pushups. Would you like to add to that?" Leah barked.

"No ma'am…" Calanthe muttered, too exhausted to correct Leah's misnomer.

"That's what I thought." Leah answered, almost boastfully, seconds before the drill was run again.

- - - -

"I can't believe you want me to dress up as Fiyero!" Noah groaned. "I mean, how predictable is that?"

Mr. Jonathan kept a stiff lip. "It's predictable, but it's a crowd pleaser. With Lily as Elphaba and your dear girlfriend as Galinda, it'll make a pretty little love triangle for the audience and for the judges."

"But can't we be creative? I mean, it's not too late to change the show… Use the same sets, different music… Maybe Phantom?" Noah suggested desperately, not enjoying the prospect of angering Leah, even in pantomime.

"Noah, you know I love you like a son. But outside of band directors, actors, and gay men, nobody knows as much about Broadway as you do. I think if we stick with this love triangle shindig, we will make it to states for sure, based entirely on your acting, Lily's dancing, and Leah's beauty." Mr. Jonathan explained. "And that's final. I'll borrow some tights, green makeup, and a ball gown from the drama team tomorrow."

Noah groaned again, but bowed his head in acceptance.

- - - -

Leah always found it easy for her mind to drift while marching. After yelling at that Freshman, she couldn't shake the thought of her Noah's eyes out of her head. She thought of how amazingly gorgeous they made her feel, she thought of how deep a blue they were, she thought of how easy it was for other band members to fantasize about her Noah and his eyes. She didn't like it. But she knew Noah's eyes only drifted towards her own. Those awkward glances at Jason, the percussionist, meant nothing. Just some inside joke… And once Noah had his Fiyero costume on, and she had on her frilly Galinda ball gown, imagine the hours and hours of practice that would take.. Plenty of ballroom dancing… plenty of practice… plenty of a lot more than that…

Leah absentmindedly licked her lips, in a trance while imagining all the things Fiyero would be doing to Galinda…

- - - -

"Lily, why aren't you learning any sets?" an observant new member of the guard asked.

"It's top secret, Monica. You'll know soon enough. Now, run the routine again, everybody. Five, six, five six seven eight…" Lily snapped, her mind also wandering. Having known Noah since they were both in diapers, Lily knew that the love between him and Leah was one-sided. And, of course, she noticed all those coy looks at Jason. Those definitely meant something. She'd have to ask Noah what was up with that, before the humiliation of a pair of tights set in.

"Um… Lily… you stopped counting." Another guard member, Zoe, pointed out.

"That's why you guys have to count to! Again. Five, six, five six seven eight!"

- - - -

"What's with this giant whirlwind, and why is it so hard to march?" one of the snare drummers asked Jason.

"I have no idea, but I'd be willing to bet it has something to do with the fact that our show is, I don't know, about the land of Oz? You know, Dorothy, Toto, the Wicked Witch, we're not in Kansas anymore? Numskull!" Jason shook his head. "I thought I actually had a drum line with a brain cell this year!"

"No need to abuse me, Jason! Gosh!" the snare drummer continued the banter. "You shouldn't treat your husband like this!"

"You're more like my wife… Or my mistress."

- - - -

"Hey, Alanis! I heard you want the solo in the third song." the senior piccolo player, Cara, jibed.

"No way! I'd never be able to play it!" Alanis giggled.

"Good. That part is mine." Cara snarled.

"All yours, Cara. All yours." Alanis said, meekly. _Man, piccolo players are insane! I should have learned trumpet like Calanthe…_

- - - -

"Okay, Marauders! It's almost five o'clock. We're going to take a water break, run the first few sets straight through with music, and then take a dinner break. Eat light! We'll be back out at the field by six, with a super secret surprise tomorrow morning. No guesing! Break!" Mr. Jonathan announced the schedule. "Until five o'clock, Noah, the instructors are in charge. But that shouldn't be a problem. Just get everybody set, run through once or twice, and head to the cafeteria." The director whispered to his drum major.

"Yes sir." Noah answered, feeling a bit like Alanis.

"Good. I have to go check on something, so I'll be back out here when we come out."

"It's not my tights, is it?" Noah groaned.

"No, it's not your tights." Mr. Jonathan laughed. "Just relax. I'll see you in an hour."

"Yes sir."

"Back to the field, Marauders!" the assistant band director, Mr. Enzo, barked. Within seconds, every member was back on the field in their opening set.

"Mark time four. One two three four!" Noah called out sharply, the precursor to a god-awful racket known to many as the first day of band camp.

- - - -

"Hallelujah, it's dinner!" Calanthe mumbled to herself.

"Of course you're happy, Fattie. It's food." Leah teased, giggling at her own joke.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Twig. We don't all binge and purge." Calanthe answered, trying to pretend it was just inter-section banter.

"Some of us should, Fattie. Ta ta!" Leah snarled, running to catch up with Noah.

- - - -

"What do you think the super secret surprise is?" Calanthe asked her sister.

"I doubt it's a party." Alanis answered.

"This is band, piccolo." Calanthe shrugged. "Maybe the surprise is more work?"

"Sounds about right… " Nina nodded.

- - - -

"I have to ask Mr. Aiden something, hun, so you and Jason go get food." Leah said, almost purring.

"Yes, babe." Noah nodded, walking into the line to get a plate full of… mush…

"Why can't they feed us anything edible!" Jason yelled in desperation, heading to an empty table.

_Oh sweet Jesus he is so sexy when he's upset!_ Noah thought, trying to ignore the blush spreading across his face.

"See, it's so horrible you're getting a rash! Maybe Leah could doctor you up before we go back out to practice?" Jason said suggestively.

"Uh… no." Noah frowned, while sitting down. "Uh… I mean… you know that could get us in major trouble…"

"Relax, I was just kidding!" Jason guffawed, practically falling into his seat.

At just this moment, Lily wandered up to the table with the two boys. "Noah, can I have a word with you?"

"Um… Sure. Talk at you later, Jason. And tell Leah I'll be back in a few when she gets here." Noah told his friend.

"Sure thing."

- - - -

After walking a respectable distance away from the dining band kids, Lily whispered, "I know you don't like Leah."

"How do you kno… I mean, why would you suggest I don't like my own girlfriend?" Noah yelped defensively.

"Noah, I've known you since before you were potty trained. Those were simpler days, but you have to admit, I know you inside and out. You don't look at her like you're in love with her. You look at her with something almost resembling pity. You barely look at her with as much regard as you do the female freshmen who are crushing on you." Lily stated plainly.

"I do too love her!" Noah yelped again.

"No, you don't, and you know it. So why are you still going out with her? Is it because you're afraid of your attraction to a certain percussionist?"

"I object!" Noah whimpered…

"Talk to me again when you're willing to admit the truth." Lily said, assembling her clear blonde hair into a ponytail while walking back to the guard table.

"I… I do love her…" Noah almost shed a tear, wandering back to the table where Jason and Leah sat.

_**Reviews are appreciated! Thanks in advance, and keep reading my suckfest.**_


	4. At The End Of The Day

_**Author's Note: Yes... Noah's angst makes no sense. Deal.**_

_**Disclaimer: No drum majors were turned on in the making of this chapter.**_

"That was a wonderful first day of camp, Marauders!" Mr. Jonathan addressed the exhausted band members through a megaphone. "Tomorrow will be easier, I promise. Go home, bathe, mark your music, and show up early for our surprise. It'll be fun!"

"Alanis, I call dibs on the bathtub." Calanthe murmured. "You can use Mom's."

"Fine, hers has those spa jet things." Alanis said.

"I'm falling asleep in the bath." Calanthe promised quietly.

"Hush!" Noah snapped to the group at large.

"Thank you, Noah. You guys are released. And I hope to see you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow morning, shortly after the break of dawn!" Mr. Jonathan joked.

Even Noah and Leah groaned in exhaustion.

- - - -

"Hun, do you think you could spend the night? I mean, we have to be up really early…" Leah murmured lustily.

"No can do, babe. You know how my mom freaks if I'm even a few minutes late…" Noah explained, not particularly wanting to spend time with Leah after what Lily had said. _Lily was completely right… I don't love her… I don't even want her…_

"Fine. But we're still on for post-camp celebration on Saturday, right? It's our two-year, remember?" Leah asked hopefully. "Or are you hanging out with Jason again?"

"Of course I'm hanging with you, babe. See you tomorrow." Noah nodded, heading towards his truck as his rightfully jealous girlfriend waved goodbye.

- - - -

"Hey, Jason, can I ask you a question?" Lily called out, causing the percussionist to pause in the middle of unlocking his car.

"What is it, Lily?" Jason sighed.

"I know you're not headed straight home… Where are you going to go eat?" Lily asked.

"Well, Noah and I were supposed to head down to the Late Nite. But then Noah decided to ditch me for Leah… And now it would appear he ditched her, too." Jason answered.

"Would you like some company? I'm starving!" Lily suggested.

"Will do. Hop in the passenger's side, my little lesbian." Jason laughed.

"Hey! I can't help it… And you have to admit, my impeccable gaydar is useful when you're deciding on whether or not to hit on a waiter." Lily giggled girlishly while opening the door.

"I can't help my own gaydar is woefully useless. Ah, poor me! What would I do without my dear friend Lily to guide me towards the attractive and effeminate boys in my life?" Jason gasped, already in the driver's seat.

Plopping into her own seat, Lily sighed. "I think being in band turned you into such a little girl, Jason. And such a drama queen! Do you act like this around percussion?"

"Of course not! But I think it's all that hanging out with Noah that turned you into such a tomboy. Otherwise you'd have been all 'oh my Gosh it's Noah and he's looking right at me RIGHT AT ME' like all the other guard girls." Jason shrugged.

"You mean band girls?" Lily giggled. "Lucky for him, he's got Leah, or else he'd be swarmed with schoolgirl crushes daily."

- - - -

"Damnit, Lily, you know I can't read texts while driving!" Noah cursed, sneaking a peak at his phone while at the stop sign.

**GO 2 L8 NITE NOW. 3 UR FAVE GUARDIE**

"I guess she wants to berate me some more… I can't avoid Lily, but I can try… I'll thank her later for the alibi." Noah thought aloud, turning his truck towards the park.

After parking, Noah sent Lily back a text.

**Sorry, already at home. See you tomorrow.**

With the message having been sent, Noah headed towards the favorite swing set from his childhood and sat down, pondering in silence about what Lily had said, about his feelings for Jason, and about his lack of feelings for Leah.

- - - -

Leah curled up in her bed with the first teddy bear Noah ever gave her.

_Why is he being so weird lately? Normally he's all over the chance to get in my pants… But now he's all sullen and emo and… so unlike himself! I didn't even get five minutes alone with him all day long… Why didn't he want to come over?_ She ranted over and over in her head.

_Maybe he's just nervous because of the tights… Maybe that's it… Maybe once he has the tights, I can help him remove them and everything will be all better…_

_**Review, pretty please. Leah's teddy demands it!**_


	5. Stars

_**Author's note: Yay for a rumor mill! It has made this chapter possible!**_

_**Disclaimer: This chapter has been brought to you by the letter G.**_

_**Disclaimer part two: I do not own the letter G or Sesame Street.**_

Jason carefully pulled his car into the parking lot. "Here we are, chica."

"Ha ha, Jason. You took half a year of Spanish and you think you're so amazing because you can say hola and what your name is." Lily smirked, punching Jason lightly in the arm.

"Ow! You're mean! I need to see my mommy for a bandaid!" Jason cried jokingly.

"What are you, a freshman? Geez." Lily teased.

"Do I look young enough to be a freshman?" Jason asked, slamming his door shut.

"I'm sure you're small enough." Lily said with an upturned eyebrow, exiting his car.

"Cheap shot!" Jason protested, throwing an arm around Lily. "Dang, why couldn't it be his cold on the field?"

"No clue."

- - - -

Nina and the rest of the low brass already had the large corner table taken over well before the percussionist and the guardie entered. It was a low brass tradition to sneak out as quickly as possible at the end of the first day of camp and enjoy milkshakes and burgers and non-institutional food at the Late Nite Diner.

"Yo, what's up with them?" the chubby tuba player, Jacob, asked the group at large

"Yeah, are they a couple or something? I mean, it's the ultimate stereotype. Two band kids, for one." trombonist Alonzo pointed out.

"And it's two captains." Nina added.

"And it's a drum line member and a guardie. Stereotypes galore!" baritone player Nicu finished.

"I wonder when they started going out?" Jacob asked aloud, pointing out Jason's arm around Lily's shoulder.

"Well, they weren't even talking to each other earlier today, so maybe they started going out on the way here?" Alonzo suggested.

"Ew. I don't want to think about what they did on the way!" Nicu squealed.

"What who did?" Lily asked, as her and Jason sat down.

"Uh… Calanthe and Alanis… they were late, remember? Alonzo here thinks they stopped for porn." Nina offered quickly.

"Freshmen don't even know what porn is yet, Nina. Don't you know anything?" Jason laughed at his own joke. "I'm totally going up to the pizza bar. See you guys when I'm done clearing it off."

"I think we should go get our fill before he's done…" Jacob grimaced. "Guys?"

"I'm in." Alonzo said.

"Me too. Nina, Lily, what about you guys?" Nicu asked.

"Nope, I'm good. You?" Nina looked at Lily.

"I'm good. I'll wait for them to make fresh." Lily grinned.

After the low brass males left, Nina turned curiously to Lily. "So… When did you and Jason start going out? I mean, that's why his arm was around you, right?"

"What? No! I mean, we're just friends!" Lily sputtered. _Ah! Us, dating? Ewwww! Why would a lesbian guard girl want to date a bisexual drummer?_

"If that's what you want us to think, your secret's safe with me." Nina said, winking.

"Um… yes. Okay, just… keep the secret, then…" Lily mumbled, still shocked. "I'll be right back…" she added in a louder voice before scrambling towards the bathroom.

- - - -

"What up playa?" Jason's phone sounded.

"Hold my place in line, guys. I gotta answer this text." Jason said, nodding at Alonzo and Nicu.

"Sure thing." Nicu answered as Jason walked a few feet away.

**NINA THINKS WE R BF N GF.**

What? Why would she think that? I… oh. The arm and the arriving together…

Jason answered quickly. **N WUT IS WRONG W/ THAT? I AM HOTT.**

"What up playa?" **WUT IS WRONG W/ THAT? WE R GAY!**

**I M GLAD U TEXTED THAT N DIDNT SAY THAT. LOL.**

"What up playa?" **ANGRY FACE*!!!**

**FINE. BUT THIS CUD B GUD 4 US. WE CUD B EACH OTHERS COVER!**

"What up playa?" **U DONT NEED A COVER U R BI!**

**I STILL NEED AN ALIBI W/ MY MOM.**

"What up playa?" **FINE. SO WE R DATING? LOL.**

**SEEMS SO. LOL. CYA AT TABLE, "BABY"**

With that, Jason headed back to the pizza bar. "Thanks, guys."

"What was that, are you cheating on Lily already?" Jacob asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Naw, man, just Noah dealing with a crisis." Jason fibbed.

"With Leah? Man, bitches be crazy!" Alonzo joked.

"Hey, watch the language man. I'm still a captain." Jason lectured. "Now, let's clear out the bar!" he yelled, amid cheers from the random members of the low brass.

- - - -

"Do you have enough food, sweetie? Leave some for the rest of us!" Lily giggled. After coming back from the bathroom, she had explained, or rather lied, to Nina, saying that Lily just hadn't been prepared for people to ask about her and Jason yet, what with her not having had a boyfriend in quite a while.

"Would you like some, baby?" Jason offered, grinning at the inside joke.

"Man, it hasn't even been an hour and you two have the names going already!" Nicu said, pretending to puke.

"Fine, couples make you puke, Nicu? I'm a little too crowded over here… Sweetie, want to move to a table for two?" Lily asked, looking at Jason.

"Sounds good, baby. See you guys, and Nina, tomorrow. Bright and early!" Jason said, standing up and holding Lily's hand.

"Do you think they bought it?" Jason whispered.

"Hook, line, and sinker. But we won't be able to hit on anybody tonight… Wanna eat and go to the park instead?" Lily suggested.

"Sounds good. There's this swing set I always used to play on when I was little… You'd love it, 'baby'." Jason said, laughing.

"Okay. Just lemme get an order of nachos to go and a Coke and we'll be on our way. You should be done with that plateful of pizza within a few minutes." Lily laughed. "Pig."

- - - -

Noah looked down at his phone.

**HOW GOES HOME? BTW ME N JASON R FAKE-DATING.**

"What?" Noah screamed, mid-swing. "How could she just drop that on me in a text! How does one even fake-date? What does that mean?"

What do you mean, you're fake-dating?

**I MEAN IM TIRED OF GUYS HITTING ON ME.**

**So you are pretending to have a boyfriend instead?**

**BINGO, DRUM MAJOR EXTRAORDINAIRE.**

**BTW. Y DID UR MOM CALL N ASK WHERE U R?**

**I TOLD HER U N I WERE HANGING. BUT WHERE R U?**

**Just thinking, Lily. I'm fine.**

**R U IN THE PARK?**

**Yes… Why?  
I C U LOLOL. IS THE SWING SUPPOSED 2 B IRONIC?**

Shocked, Noah looked up just in time to get mauled by a small guard girl. "Lily, what are you doing here?"

"We got sick of pretending to be lovey-dovey in front of the low brass, man. Decided to chillax out on the town." Jason answered, following shortly behind Lily.

"What made you agree to this, Jason?" Noah asked bitterly. "Not like ladies aren't all over you."

"Eh. I'll still see them. Just without band kids knowing." Jason smirked.

"It's a perfect solution, Noah! You know I don't like any of the guys here. Now they won't mess with me!" Lily giggled. It was technically true… she didn't like any of the guys, just the girls.

"Well, care to join me on this swing set, my lady and my lord?" Noah offered with a flourish of his hand.

"Of course, my knight. Allow me to fetch my nachos and my soda." Lily nodded, walking back to Jason's car.

"So… how did this fake dating happen?" Noah asked, almost jealous of his best female friend. _Wait, jealous? I'm dating Leah. I'm dating Leah. I'm… oh crap… Ignore lower body! Ignore lower body!_

"Eh. I gave her a ride to the Late Nite, because a certain drum major ditched me, and she proposed the idea. According to what low brass has been told, I asked her out on the way there after practice, and God only knows what they think we are doing now, since we skipped out of the first-day-of-band-camp celebration early." Jason laughed. "Like I'd do her! No offense, but she's too stereotypical for me. I mean, drummer and guardie? Blech!"

"Hey! You're offending the girl who saw me in diapers." Noah said, lightly punching Jason in the arm.

"Man, that's the second time I've been punched today!" Jason laughed, rubbing his arm in mock pain.

"I return, bringing nachos and soda for everybody!" Lily giggled, tossing a bottle to each guy.

"Thank you, 'baby'." Jason said, laughing.

"You're welcome, 'sweetie'." Lily giggled.

_Baby? Sweetie? I think I'll puke!_ Noah thought, groaning.

"I think I should leave, Lily. I mean, we have to get up early…" Noah suggested.

"I'm your excuse for being out late, Noah. You can't go home before me." Lily pointed out.

"Come on, man. Good clean fun. Just a few friends on a swing set. Unless you feel like sitting on my lap?" Jason joked.

_OH GOOD GOD YES. I mean no. I mean YEEEEEEESSSSS. _Noah thought, repressing a blush.

"Fine." Noah mouthed quietly, sitting back down on the swing.

POP. "Come on guys, open the old-timey Cokes!" Lily grinned.

POP. POP.

"Since we're out here under the stars, and it's all romantic, maybe we should learn a little bit about each other, my fake-date and my best bud." Jason suggested.

"Sounds cool." Noah said, taking a swig of his soda.

"You start, 'sweetie'." Lily said, giggling.

"Lily, hottest guy in band?" Jason asked.

"Ew! You know I don't like any guys here!" Lily squealed.

"I sure do…" Jason muttered. "Your turn." He said louder.

"Okay, um… Noah, hottest guy in band?" Lily repeated.

"Myself!" Noah laughed. "Jason, worst class?"

"Ugh, math. So horrible! Lily, favorite food?"

Eventually, the questions seemed to blend one into another for Noah, until he looked at his watch.

"Holy crap! It's midnight, guys! We need to get home now!" he shrieked.

"Yow! Yes we do. Bye, 'baby'." Jason laughed.

"Bye, 'sweetie'." Lily answered. "Now take me home, drum major."

"But of course, milady. See you tomorrow, Jason." Noah waved goodbye as he and Lily headed to his truck.

"See you two." Jason nodded, running to his car.

_Man, Jason has no idea how sexy he is… _Noah thought, turning the key in his ignition.

_**Yay for jealous drum majors! Review pretty please *puppy dog eyes***_


	6. As Long As You're Mine

**_Author's Note: Now for the last prepared chapter... After this, most chapters will be based on what the reviews tell me I suck at._**

**_Disclaimer: No hablo francés y los personajes en este cuento no tienen algo en común con las personas que yo conozco._**

"I wonder what the surprise is…" Calanthe mused, talking to her sister.

"Hey Freshman. No guessing!" Leah snapped, walking by.

"Why is she so pissed off?" Alanis whispered.

"I don't know… Maybe it has something to do with Jason and Lily? They're going out now." Nina said.

"No way! But I never see them hang out, like ever." Alanis said. "And even if Jason and Lily were dating, what would that have to do with Leah?"

"Didn't you see Noah leave last night without Leah? Maybe the fact that the girl that is practically his little sister is dating his best friend has him upset, so he's ignoring Leah, so Leah's pissed." Calanthe decided.

"That could be it…" Nina nodded.

"But we don't know for sure that the guard captain and the percussion captain are an item." Alanis pointed out.

"Well, they left practice together yesterday…" Calanthe said.

"And they arrived together at the Late Nite Diner. His arm was around her, and they were acting pretty lovey-dovey. And Lily told us they were dating." Nina said, waggling her finger like a teacher.

"The Late Nite Diner?" Alanis asked. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's the most amazing hangout ever. Almost every band kid goes there after a game or a competition, and some sections have their own traditions for going. And they have the absolute best food, and every now and then they have Karaoke nights. Believe you me, when you see a large group of percussion singing Single Ladies, you will not be able to march behind them again." Nina explained.

"Sounds like a lot of fun!" Calanthe exclaimed.

"Yeah it is…" Nina said, moments before the entire field went quiet.

- - - -

Noah entered onto the deathly quiet field. _Why is everybody staring? Oh right… the hickey…_

Lily had asked Noah when he was driving whether or not he loved Leah. He kept swearing up and down that he did. After a few minutes, she asked him to pull over. With the truck in park, Lily had asked again if Noah truly loved Leah. He answered yes, for the millionth time. Then Lily asked him to prove it… It hadn't lasted long enough, but it was apparently long enough for him to have a hickey…

"What's up, everybody?" he called out to the field at large, before heading over to fill his water bottle.

He heard the whispers behind him. "I've never seen him have a hickey before…"

"Leah's said she doesn't like leaving hickeys…"

"Didn't he leave without her yesterday, anyway?"

"I wonder who left that?"

"Whoever it is was a very lucky girl…"

"Who said it was a girl?"

That was the final straw for the drum major. Quickly capping his bottle, he headed off to the podium.

_People think that just because I have a hickey, I'm gay? Damn! Hickey equals gay, but staring at a snare drummer doesn't?_

- - - -

"Leah, did you see Noah's hickey?" a freshman follower asked.

"His WHAT?" Leah screeched.

"You mean, you didn't know about it?" a sophomore asked.

"Of course I didn't!" Leah screeched again. _Where did my Noah get a hickey? I bet it was that freshman slut, Cassie or Caylee or whatever her name is, that fat bitch! _she ranted mentally as she raced towards the podium.

"What the hell did you do last night?" Leah screamed at Noah.

"What are you talking about?" Noah asked nervously.

"Everyone can see the proof on your neck! WHO did you do last night?" Leah screamed, her face becoming red.

"Oh, that… It's not a hickey, Leah… When I got home last night, I ran into my bed. I didn't see the bruise until this morning. I promise, I would never cheat on you." Noah said soothingly. _Hopefully, she's so angry she's seeing red. Otherwise, she'd never believe that crap… I mean, I didn't cheat… It was Lily, and I was proving I love Leah…_

"Are… are you sure?" Leah asked, sniffling.

"Promise." Noah nodded. "Air hug?"

"Air hug." Leah smiled, motioning a hug towards Noah.

- - - -

"Lily, what did Noah do after he dropped you off last night?" Jason whispered on water break.

"Well, 'sweetie', I have no idea." Lily answered. "Why?"

"Have you seen his neck, 'baby'?"

"Why no, 'sweetie', I haven't. Why, did he get bit by a vampire?"

"'Baby', he got bit by something, alright. But it definitely left a hickey, not a bite mark."

"A hickey?" _Shit, I left a hickey on my best friend! NOT COOL NOT COOL OH SHIT PLAY IT COOL._

"Yes, a hickey, 'baby'. Do you know anything about that?" Jason asked.

"No, but maybe he snuck into Leah's house after he dropped me off? Don't know anybody else he would let leave a hickey." Lily offered.

"Must be… Damn, and he made fun of me for being a player." Jason laughed.

"Shh, not so loud 'sweetie'!" Lily admonished in a whisper.

"Marauders, back to the field! It's time for our surprise!" Mr. Jonathan called out.

"See you later, 'baby'." Jason said.

"Bye, 'sweetie'." Lily called, wandering to the middle of the field where Mr. Jonathan, Noah, and Leah stood.

- - - -

"Marauders, there is a special surprise in our show this year, both for the marchers and the audience." Mr. Jonathan started. "You may have noticed other bands treating their fields like a theatre stage. This year, we are doing the same. Our first song, 'No One Mourns The Wicked', will feature your guard captain Lily as Elphaba, conjuring a tornado and attacking the podium." He continued, flourishing his hand towards Lily at his left. "The tornado is you guys, in that circle drill we've been practicing. You will slowly scatter out as the tornado loses power until a small core of the circle pretends to ram the podium, knocking down your drum major Noah. Noah, to the great fortune of you ladies, will be wearing tights as a part of his Fiyero costume." Here, half the band sighed contentedly. "Noah will fall from the podium, gracefully of course, just in time to court your band captain Leah as Galinda, complete with a ball gown, in 'Dancing Through Life'. During this song, Lily will mount the podium, pretending to be the conductor of a fake orchestra playing for Leah and Noah's dance, but in actuality conducting for you Marauders.. Noah will abandon Leah to help Lily carry a baby lion, also known as a stuffed animal, to safety to a few bars of 'Something Bad' before the official third song begins, our mix of 'Thank Goodness', 'No Good Deed', and 'March of the Witch Hunters'. During 'Thank Goodness', Lily will flee from Leah to the side of the field, and Noah will follow about halfway through this portion of the song. To the great misfortune of you ladies, Lily and Noah will stage kiss and such until the end of this portion. Leah will wave her wand, and the band will draw Noah into the center of the field. He will hide behind a backdrop while Leah stands triumphantly on the podium, conducting, and Lily performs a solo dance, then during the March he will rejoin us as the Scarecrow and join Leah on a hunt for Lily. At the end of the third song, we will reprise a few bars of the first song while Lily pretends to die. This plan means that Noah will only be conducting for about half of a song, while Lily and Leah will each conduct about two-thirds of a song. This leaves, mathematically speaking, one song where second-in-command drum major Raine will conduct by herself. Well, along with the two small non-songs." With this, a quiet 'yes!' could be heard from the podium. "Effectively, Raine is now first-in-command. Thanks to this rearrangement of music towards an acting gig, there will be no piccolo solo in the third song. My apologies to my aspiring stars. Everybody understand what has been said today?"

A resounding chorus of "yes sir" was heard, with the occasional "yup" or "yuh-huh".

"Good. Now, opening set, with Lily stationed in the middle!"

- - -

During the next water break, after several runthroughs of Elphaba's emergence from the center of the tornado, Lily climbed up Noah's podium. "Noah, can I talk to you?"

"Sure thing, Lily." Noah said, lounging against the railing of the podium.

"Um… Alone, if you don't mind, Raine?" Lily nodded at the other drum major.

"No prob, Elphie." Raine smiled, hopping off the podium to giggle with a few of the guard girls.

"So… What did you need, Lily?" Noah asked.

"Noah… is that mark on your neck from me?" Lily whispered.

"Um… unless I had an orgy in my sleep, yes. I saw it this morning… Don't worry, Mom didn't." Noah whispered, leaning in.

"So you didn't go see Leah after you dropped me off?" Lily asked quietly.

"No…" Noah admitted. "I told her I ran into my bed post and got a nasty bruise…"

"So you made out with your best female friend, the fake-girlfriend of your best friend, to prove you really do love your girlfriend and end up with a hickey, all without going to see your girlfriend afterwards? My my my." Lily accused. "So you cheated on her and lied?"

"Hush! Lily, I didn't cheat on her… I mean, our clothes didn't even come off!"

"We were still in our shorts from practice! And have you seen how we band kids dress for practice? I might as well have been in lingerie!" Lily hissed.

"But I didn't cheat on her! I was doing it to prove I would never cheat on her!"

"Wow… Your logic is crappy…" Lily giggled.

"You put me up to it!" Noah snapped, red in the face.

Mr. Jonathan walked up to the podium. "Everything okay, lovebirds?"

Noah sputtered out a "what?" while Lily blushed bright red.

"Elphaba and Fiyero are soulmates. And I wanted to see that reaction." Mr. Jonathan chuckled behind his own hand.

"Oh… Yes, sir." Lily nodded.

"Now, Noah, I'm going to extend the water break to ten minutes long while I talk to the drill writer. I think the tornado needs fixing… Maybe we could do a scatter drill into the tornado…" Mr. Jonathan thought out loud. "Your thoughts, Elphaba?"

"I think it would be a lot more dramatic." Lily said.

"Ditto." Noah said. "If it takes you longer than ten minutes, do you want us to run through the first few sets again?"

"Sounds good. See you in a few, Noah." Mr. Jonathan said.

After he walked off, Noah went back to whispering. "Now, back to my loving Leah."

"Or lack of loving her." Lily rolled her eyes.

"I do love her!" Noah growled.

"Want to prove it again?" Lily giggled.

"NO! I don't need to prove it to you… Go bother your fake boyfriend!" Noah growled.

"Maybe I will. And maybe I'll test how fake our relationship is tonight. How's that mental image, your two best friends screwing each other brainless!" Lily growled back.

"Oh really? What would he say if he knew where this 'bruise' came from?" Noah growled again, glaring at his favorite guard girl.

"He wouldn't care! Fake relationship, remember?" Lily hissed.

"I'm still his best friend, and he would have to pretend to be upset. Especially considering how you started dating last night… A lot of band kids would hate you… You'd be the ultimate whore… Is that what you want your senior year?"

"You're the cheating, lying boyfriend! How is that any better?" Lily growled through gritted teeth.

"I don't want to see you again, Lily! Get the hell off my podium!" Noah snarled.

"I'm going to be conducting on it more that you will." Lily taunted, jumping off before Noah could push her.

Noah looked down at his watch.

"It's over!" he yelled to the Marauders, referring to the water break.

_Hopefully my oldest friendship isn't, too… _Noah thought, before calling the band to attention.

"Mark time four. One two three four!" he intoned clearly, the precursor to a slightly better musical performance with a glaring Elphaba at the center of a tornado that wanted him dead.

_**This was officially the hardest chapter to write. It hit close to home... And made me fear for my sanity, having two of my characters screaming at each other in my head... Review to pay for my psycotherapy bills?**_


	7. Funny Honey

_**Authoress's Note: Wow. This one was really hard to write. No matter what I tried doing, the last scene in this chapter kept turning into Rated M. It's a lot tamer than it was... Promise!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any not-fuzzy slippers. Felt it was necessary to add that. Also, I have never owned a band.**_

"Wonderful progress today, Marauders! We're already two-thirds of the way through the first song, and we have three days left. I'm so proud of the work you have collectively put in today. Let's keep it up! If we can finish setting first song before dinner tomorrow, there'll be another surprise in it for you. And I promise this time it won't be more work." Mr. Jonathan announced through his megaphone. "Tomorrow is hump day." He continued, pausing for the scattered snickers. "By that, I mean that it has been an uphill battle yesterday and today. And from tomorrow on, it will go downhill for the rest of the week unless we continue to put in that work. Go home, get rest, and see you all tomorrow morning, bright and early!"

"Hallelujah, it's over…" Calanthe mumbled, exhausted.

"No kidding!" Alanis sighed. "Well, for today anyway…"

Calanthe let out a groan. "I'm not sure how much more I can take. Between Leah jumping down my throat every chance she gets and the physical overexertion, I'm going to die before the end of the week."

"And between the snippy woodwinds and the long hours, I won't be able to go to your funeral…" Alanis agreed. "Come on, let's just go wait on Mom."

"Yeah…" Calanthe said, closing her eyes momentarily.

- - - -

"Noah…" Leah started tentatively, sitting on the hood of her boyfriend's truck.

"Yes, Leah?" Noah answered, sitting in the cab.

"So… are you sure you went straight home last night?" Leah asked.

"Actually, I did make a side trip. With it being our last band camp, I was all nostalgic and stopped at the old park. Swung a few times on the swings, thought a little bit, and left. Why?"

"Well… You said you couldn't come over because you needed to go home."

"Yeah… And then Lily texted me, saying she needed an alibi. I needed to kill a little time so I could tell my mom we had gone to the Late Nite, but I left early and Lily had a ride home." Noah explained. "By the time I drove out there, swung, and left, it had been about 20 minutes."

"So, who gave Lily a ride?" Leah asked.

"I have no idea. All I know is she told me she had it taken care of, but her mom would be pissed if I wasn't there to supervise. Apparently Lily's too immature to look out for herself." Noah said, rolling his eyes.

"Since you needed to give Lily an alibi, why didn't you come to my house?"

"Because your mom would have spilled the beans." Noah said point-blank. "Why the twenty questions?"

"Well, you don't need to give Lily an alibi tonight, since you guys are pissed at each other, right?" Leah asked.

"Yeah…" Noah said, tentatively.

"Want to come over? You know your mom wouldn't mind the break from having housed your sweaty self all summer, and we might be able to celebrate our almost-anniversary…" Leah suggested.

"Fine… Let me go home and shower first. I'll tell my mom we're watching a movie." Noah agreed. _I do love her… And if I can't prove it to Lily, I should start proving it to Leah…_

"Okay, hun. See you soon!" Leah giggled, blowing him a kiss as she walked to her car.

"I do love her…" Noah muttered, pressing his foot down on the gas pedal.

- - - -

"Lily, 'baby', what's the matter?" Jason asked the guard girl sitting on the hood of his car.

"Noah's blocked my number. I can tell. I've been trying to text him, to apologize for bringing up crap in front of the entire band. I'm not sorry for what I said, but I'm sorry that it hurt him… He's my oldest friend, 'sweetie'. I can't bear that I hurt him so bad…" Lily said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You still didn't tell me what the fight was about, Lily." Jason said quietly, plopping onto his hood as well.

"It was about… it was about nothing…" Lily muttered between sniffles.

"Sounds like it was about something, Lily." Jason said softly, rubbing an arm soothingly over her back. "Want to talk about it? I'll drive you home and take the scenic route."

Amid more sniffles, Lily choked out an agreement.

"Good. Hop in the passenger seat." Jason ordered gently, walking over to open the door.

"Th… thank you." Lily sniffled.

"No problem." Jason nodded, sitting in the driver's seat and revving the engine as they pulled out of the parking lot.

- - - -

"I wonder if there's a full moon or something tonight." Calanthe mentioned to her sister after their mom picked them up.

"What do you mean?" Alanis asked.

"Well, yesterday Lily and Noah seemed all hunky-dory, Jason was flirting with the girls in band, Leah was a complete and total witch, and Nina was one of the girls swooning over Noah. And all of a sudden, Jason and Lily are dating, Noah and Lily are fighting, Leah is mopey, and Nina is a gossipmonger. Either it's a full moon or all of the seniors took Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde juice." Calanthe explained.

"Maybe they're all just grumpy because of band camp?" their mom suggested.

"Could be…" Alanis mumbled. _But I bet it's related… One bad mood creates another…_

_- - - -  
_

"So… you gave Noah that hickey?" Jason asked, more of a summary than an actual question.

"Yeah… The whole thing didn't last long… Might as well have happened at a red light." Lily admitted, sniffling less but blushing a lot more.

"So… obviously he had a part in it, he could have not pulled over… What was the fight about?"

"Well… I told him that making out with me didn't prove he loved Leah, even if it didn't seem to have very much of a reaction, if you catch my drift…" Lily started. "He yelled it did, and it was banter that went too far… By the end, he'd called me a whore and I'd call him a lying, cheating, unfaithful boyfriend… It wasn't very pretty…" Lily sniffled again. "I don't know how I'll be able to manage in one on one on one practices for the whole characterization thing… Even if Noah and I do make up, I have to look him and Leah in the eye knowing that I left a hickey on him, when I've never left even a mark on any girl I've been with…"

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it, Lily. Just ignore the history… Or, better yet, channel it towards your performance as Elphaba… I mean, I've never seen it, but doesn't she get all over Fiyero and steal him from Galinda? As long as the stage kissing doesn't get as intense." Jason smirked.

"That's not funny!" Lily said, smacking him in the shoulder.

"It wasn't meant to be funny." Jason pointed out. "I know you're a hundred percent girls, but science has proven that once you've swapped spit with somebody, your body goes into withdrawal if you don't get more kisses."

"So you think I'll rape my oldest friend on field?" Lily screeched.

"No. I just said, watch yourself… Get a girlfriend or two. And even though I'm not technically your boyfriend, I'm here for you." Jason soothed.

"Thank you, Jason." Lily smiled, going in for an awkward hug around the stick shift.

- - - -

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Leah quickly opened her window. "My parents are still awake, you could have just walked in."

"But it feels more sneaky to throw rocks." Noah whined.

"Fine, but at least walk through the front door." Leah giggled.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Oh, hello Noah. You know, one day you're going to break Leah's window." Leah heard her mother answer the front door.

"Yes ma'am. But until that day, it feels more romantic to throw the rocks." Noah's sweet voice drifted through the entry, up the stairs, and into Leah's bedroom.

_I'm so glad he's mine…_ Leah swooned mentally. Seconds later, Noah appeared in her doorway. _I'm especially glad he's mine when he's dressed like THAT._

"Sorry, I didn't think you wanted to see me in the sweaty gym shorts." Noah said sheepishly.

"Oh, it's okay." Leah grinned, taking in the tight denim jeans and the loose polo. "It's definitely okay." She muttered, walking over to close her door.

"I'm glad you're not wearing a sweaty shirt either." Noah breathed, running a hand over her stomach through the camisole.

"Noooah…" Leah whimpered. "At least wait for the movie to start…"

"Aw, but I'm so impatient." Noah breathed again, kissing the side of her neck.

Leah broke away reluctantly. "Well, Mr. Impatience, we are watching an excellent movie." She announced, putting a DVD in the player and turning on the TV.

"And what would that be, babe?" Noah asked. _Lily would believe me if she saw me now._

"We are watching Chicago. Remember our show freshman year?" Leah giggled, plopping down on her bed, facing the TV.

"Of course I do. Remember how the guard wore those ridiculous flapper costumes?" Noah laughed, lying down behind Leah.

"I remember the hats and pinstriped suits the drum majors wore. I always thought you'd look sexy in that outfit." Leah said, blushing.

"I think you'd look sexy in anything." Noah whispered in her ear to the opening strains of All That Jazz.

"Really?" Leah asked, turning around to face Noah.

"Really." Noah grinned, planting a kiss on Leah's lips. _Take that, Lily!_ …_Wait. Why am I thinking about Lily while I kiss Leah? Damn it!_

Leah broke away. "Is something on your mind, hun?"

"Just how amazing that camisole looks on you." Noah said in a low growl.

"I'm glad you think so." Leah giggled. "Would you like to see it off me?"

All of a sudden, Noah tensed. The idea of Leah naked repulsed him. _Well that's odd._

"No, babe. I mean, I'm so sore from practice… Maybe we could just watch the movie and relax?" Noah suggested meekly.

_What the hell happened to the lust-filled man that was in my bed a few minutes ago? _Leah screamed in her head.

"No, that's… that's fine…" Leah mumbled. "Let's just… watch…"

I hate to do this to her… It's not her fault Jason's so incredible… And Lily last night… Damn it, do I have a crush on everybody except Leah? Noah thought, unable to pay attention to the amorous couple on the TV screen.

"Hun…" Noah heard the whisper from in front of him.

"Yeah, babe?" he answered quietly.

"Do you love me?"

_Damn, is everybody doubting my feelings lately? _"Of course I do, babe. You know that." Noah replied, kissing the tip of Leah's ear.

"Good… Love you too, hun."

_**Review, pretty please! And if you actually liked this, feel free to favorite it. Promise the story doesn't bite!**_


	8. The Confrontation

**_Authoress's Note: Wow, the third Les Miserables title! Maybe it's because there's a bajillion and one songs in Les Miserables? xD I think I can actually do this, for this story anyway. I mean, we're over halfway there. So, onto the MORNING AFTER oooEEEoo..._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own a marching band. But I do own a marching band unifom!  
_**

"Noah, what the hell?" Lily screamed when the drum major drove up to his house. He had ended up falling asleep at Leah's house, but not before asking Leah's mom and getting acquainted with the guest room.

"What, you're talking to me now?" Noah blustered.

"I mean, where the hell were you! I came over at midnight, and your mom said you weren't here."

"I was doing like you suggested. I proved that I do love Leah. Spent the whole damned night at her house and didn't even dream of getting in her pants!"

"Not like you did it out of respect. You've drilled that oil well before." Lily spat. "So in reality, that just proves you don't love her!"

Hm… Lily does have a point…

"Screw you, Lily!" Noah screamed.

"No thanks, that's what Jason's for!" Lily yelled back. _If he's going to lie, I'm going to lie too, and I'm going to make it hurt._

"You two aren't really dating." Noah gasped.

"How would you know? You blocked my number!"

"Because I didn't want you bothering me and making me angry when I was spending time with MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"YOU MEAN YOUR SLUT!" Lily screamed. "I don't care what you do anymore! Get damned chlamydia or AIDS, I don't give a shit!"

"I never asked you to!" Noah screamed back. "And for your information, I am the only guy Leah has even seen naked, unlike you, you little slut! I guess what they say about guard girls is true, you're all whores!"

"You take that back! You can make fun of me, but don't you dare talk about my guard like that!" Lily screeched. "You damned asshole!"

"Oh, so in less than 48 hours I go from your best friend, to a potential fuck-buddy, to an asshole?"

"You're just a damned chameleon, aren't you!" Lily yelled, storming off to her house. "See you at practice, asshole!" _And to think, I was going to apologize! What the hell was I thinking?_

_- - - -  
_

Calanthe sat in the band room, cleaning her trumpet when she saw Noah storm in.

"Um… what's up?" she asked he grumbling drum major. There weren't a whole lot of people there yet. Even Mr. Jonathan hadn't arrived.

"Nothing, just… I hate drama and I hate Lily and…" Noah started, his sentence degenerating into an angry scream.

"Want to sit and tell me about it? I'm a good listener." Calanthe smiled.

"Promise not to tell Little Miss Gossipmonger?"

"I promise. I won't even tell Alanis." Calanthe assured Noah.

"Good… Lily swears up and down I don't love Leah, and of course I love her, I mean I've been dating her since we were sophomores, of course I love her!" Noah started ranting.

"Of course…" Calanthe murmured. _No hope for me, then…_

"But Lily still doesn't believe me, so she wanted me to prove it by kissing her… If I didn't like it, then I do love Leah." Noah said, shyly. "It was late, and I was angry and desperate to prove myself, I don't know why I wanted to prove myself to that slut, especially considering she's dating Jason out of the blue… But I did. It literally lasted as long as it would take for the Flash to run around the world, but apparently it lasted long enough for her to leave this hickey."

"Lily did that?" Calanthe asked, amazed.

"Yeah… Don't tell anyone!" Noah intoned firmly. "Neither of us knew that I had a hickey until yesterday morning. And the fact that I lied to Leah and told her I had hit my neck set Lily off. And I've known Lily since I was about yay high." Noah explained, holding his hand about a foot off the ground.

"Oh man, I bet this is going to make that whole Fiyero thing fun." Calanthe said, rolling her eyes.

"Damn! I hadn't even thought about that… " Noah groaned. "I spent the night at Leah's, but we didn't do anything I swear. Lily accused me of lying, saying that I had drilled that oil well before. And that's a direct quote. It's true, but I didn't last night…"

"Oh…" _Wow… An experienced man? Hadn't expected that._

"So we got into another screaming match this morning, and I did the unmentionable…"

"You mean you kissed her again?" Calanthe asked.

"No. I called her a slut, and said that the stereotype of guard girls being loose was true. I mean, you can make fun of somebody, but you don't ever bring their section into it." Noah explained. "So she replied in kind about Leah. I mean, just because she's a cheerleader and blonde…"

"Ah… So am I up to date?" Calanthe asked.

"Yeah, that's just about it." Noah nodded. _Well, ignoring the crush on my best male friend, the lust for my best female friend, and a lack of both for my girlfriend._

"Well, it seems to me that all of your drama could be resolved. Are you a hundred percent sure you love Leah?"

"I should be, shouldn't I? But I'm not so sure…" Noah admitted.

"Well, if you're not, then you should take a break." Calanthe advised.

"That's not possible." Noah said. "Saturday is our anniversary."

"If Leah really loves you, she'll be fine with it. Just try. And then when you've done that, talk things out with Lily. Tell her that you are sorry about what happened Monday, that you're sorry for fighting with her yesterday, and that you're sorry for insulting her and her guard this morning. If you are really that old of friends, she'll want to listen. Trust me, she's a girl. It's what we do. She probably already spent a few hours crying to Jason about it."

"Calanthe, you're amazing." Noah smiled.

"I try." _Yay, I'm amazing! _Calanthe swooned.

"You should be a guidance counselor. The common sense counselor, I can see the business cards already!" Noah laughed, enveloping Calanthe in a bear hug.

_Damn he smells almost as amazing as he looks! _Calanthe thought.

"Okay, okay. Go take care of your drama!" Calanthe giggled.

- - - -

"Hun, what's wrong?" Leah asked, seeing Noah coming towards her. "I woke up this morning and you were already gone."

"Babe… We gotta talk." Noah gulped.

"What is it?"

"I… I love you, don't get me wrong. And I know you love me more than life itself. But… I'm kind of worried you feel way too strongly about me…"

"And?"

"And I think we should take a break. Not break up, just… A break. A short one."

"Wh… Why?" Leah sniffled.

"I just… I think we should. I still love you, no matter what. Promise." Noah nodded, near tears himself.

"You're lucky you're so cute, or else I'd say no." Leah sniffled. "I guess this is goodbye for now?"

"Yeah." Noah choked back a sob. "Yeah, it is. See you on the field."

_That went well. _Noah thought.

_What slut told him to do that? I bet it was Courtney. Or Carly. Or whatever the hell Freshman's name is!_ Leah thought, walking off to her car to get her horn.

- - - -

"I'm sure he was just upset. I mean, you did just appear on his lawn and start screaming at him." Jason shrugged.

"I guess… It's just… We were, well you know, Monday night, and then he goes and has some 'private time' with her last night? Kind of man-whore-ish, if you ask me." Lily whispers, scrunching her face up in thought.

"I know, but 'baby', you have to work on your temper." Jason advised, putting his arm around Lily in a mini-hug.

"I know…" Lily admitted, eyes cast to the ground.

"Well speak of the devil…" Lily heard a low whisper right next to her ear. "Hey, um… Lily, can we talk? Calmly?" a different male voice asked from in front of her. Looking up, she realized it was Noah.

"Why, are you going to insult my girls again?" Lily growled.

"Calmly, Lily. I promise." Noah said, trying to assure her.

"Fine." Lily hopped off the bench she was sitting on. "Let's talk."

"Um… In private?" Noah asked. _Dear God, I don't want to air my dirty laundry out in front of Jason… Even if he does likely know already._

"If that's what you want." Lily sighed, walking over to the side of the band room. "Now, what do you need to say so bad?"

"Calmly, Lily." Noah said through gritted teeth.

"That's it?" Lily scoffed.

"No… Lily, I'm sorry for what happened on Monday night…" Noah started, running mentally through what Calanthe had said.

"Sorry for kissing me? I'm a regret now?" Lily growled.

"No, I mean… yes. You're my best friend, you should know… We shouldn't have done it… But you're not a regret. I could never regret you." Noah smiled. "Now, if it had been Nina…"

"So I make you feel less guilty? Thanks." Lily rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't." Lily snarled, walking away.

"Well that worked splendidly…" Noah sighed.

_**I do not approve of Lily and Noah's language at the beginning of this chapter. But it was toned down a lot. Before, I think there were about 6 F-bombs, and they got into a fistfight. Much tamer now, but still rather... angry.**_


	9. Guys and Dolls

_**Authoress's Note: Not my best chapter. Actually, I'd go so far as to call it my worst chapter. All I really did was give a few characters last names and introduce two new characters. One of which who may or may not be used ever again.**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not approve of such horrible writing._**

"Mr. Robinson." Mr. Jonathan intoned coolly. _This isn't good._ Noah thought. _He hasn't called me by my last name since freshman year when we used a trombone as a water hose._

"Miss Fiala." He added, looking at the guard captain. _Craaaaap._ Lily thought. _I didn't even know he knew my last name._

"I hear you two are having… problems. And a spat or two. I cannot control what you do outside of practice, but please do not fight. You will be working intimately this season" here, Lily interrupted with a giggle and Noah with a blush, "and you will get along if I have to handcuff you two together and drop you off on some God-forsaken island in the middle of the Atlantic. Don't test me, because I have about a million frequent flyer miles saved up." Mr. Jonathan lectured, keeping a cold eye tuned to both captains. "I had better not hear anything about you two other than being the best of friends."

"Yes sir." Noah answered, with Lily echoing soon after.

"Good. Now, you two and Leah get the morning off. The parents found money in the budget for custom-fit costumes. The tailor will be here about 30 minutes after we head to the field." Mr. Jonathan instructed. "Noah, tell Leah and inform Raine that she will be taking your place in block today. Lily, tell Belinda and Jason that they will be taking yours and Leah's places, respectively."

Lily's jaw dropped. "But sir! She's a sophomore!"

"Yes, Miss Fiala, and she's the best marcher in guard, yourself included."

"Yes sir…" Lily nodded reluctantly, walking off to find Jason and one of the youngest guard girls.

"Mr. Robinson, go." Mr. Jonathan instructed. A little more softly, he added "And try to make up with Lily. You've been friends longer than I've known you. It would be a shame if you didn't stay that way."

"Yes sir."

- - - -

"Omigod omigod omigod!" a small, tanned girl squealed. "I really get to be you today?"

"Yes, Beli." Lily sighed. "Mr. Jonathan said you're the best marcher in guard."

"Omigod!" Belinda squealed again. "Thank you! I'm sure you had something to do with this!" she yelled, throwing her arms around Lily in a huge hug.

"Yes, Beli. Now go!" Lily giggled. The girl hadn't been her first fling, or even her favorite, but she was a sweet, innocent girl. Lily loved her for that, so when Belinda decided to give up guys for good, Lily swooped in easily.

"Um… Lily, can I ask you a question?" Belinda asked shyly, nervously twirling a piece of her brown locks between her fingers. "Since you're going out with Jason, does that mean you won't come over anymore?"

"Of course not! I'll still see you on the sly, Beli." Lily grinned.

"Good! I took your advice and went to the, um, you-know store." Belinda admitted, still twirling that piece of hair.

"Really?" Lily smiled. "I'll have to come over soon then, Beli. Now go get ready to be me."

"Okay!" Belinda brightened, sprinting to the band room in excitement.

- - - -

"Custom-fit? Sound fancy!" Leah giggled. "You sure you don't want to help measure me? I mean, I might need to be in the nude for a proper measurement." She purred, rubbing a hand up and down Noah's hand.

_Why is she so unobservant!_ Noah screamed in his head. "We're on break, babe. You know that." Noah stammered, backing away from her touch. "Just… I'll be right back."

_That bitch Carla has really got her hooks in him!_ Leah thought, growling under her breath.

- - - -

"Hey, sweetie." Lily giggled, knocking on the percussion room's door.

"What, baby? How'd it go with Noah?" Jason asked quietly.

"Eh. Mr. Jonathan wants us to get along, so we probably will get over it soon." Lily nodded. "But apparently our character costumes are going to be custom-made, so the three of us are going to be measured by a tailor this morning."

"Man, I wish I could get a break!" Jason groaned.

"Yup. Instead, you get a promotion. You are band captain for marching block." Lily grinned. "Lucky you."

"Aw, man. Does that mean I have to stare at Raine with stalker-like, lovey dovey eyes?" Jason groaned again.

"You'd better not, sweetie." Lily admonished. It had become easier to say the nickname with a straight face, but it didn't always come out right quite yet.

"Fine, baby." Jason grinned, planting a kiss on her forehead for show.

- - - -

"Hey, Raine. Guess what you get to do today?" Noah asked the junior as she stepped out of her car.

"Um… I'm going to assume go to band practice?" Raine asked, trying to be sarcastic.

"Well, yes. But what else?"

"Um… Be told that you and I are drum majors because we're pretty faces?"

"Other than the obvious!" Noah screeched.

"If it's not obvious, how will I guess?" Raine asked in a singsong voice.

"ARGH. Okay, I'll just tell you. I won't be at practice this morning, so Mr. Jonathan has appointed you to take my place in marching block.

"So… I get to actually be in charge?" Raine giggled.

"Yes, Raine." Noah nodded, exasperated. "See you later."

"Bye!" Rained giggled, watching her fellow drum major walk towards the band room. _God he is so fine!_

_- - - -  
_

About twenty minutes later, the last lagging freshman had finally arrived for the day. "Good morning Marauders!" Mr. Jonathan announced to the group of sleepy teenagers in the band room. "This morning, we will be taking a break from drill." Immediately, the tired teenagers perked up. "Instead, we will be going back to basics with an hour or two of marching in block. Percussion will be led in individual block by Jason, brass will be led by Nina, guard by Belinda, and woodwinds by Raine. Then the three groups will be led in group block by those four, with Jason taking Leah's place, Belinda taking Lily's, and Raine taking Noah's. I will be supervising off and on, but the rest of the staff will be helping and watching. If any attitude is given to these four, physical punishment will be much harsher than it would be if you gave the same attitude to Lily, Noah, or Leah. Understand?"

A few band members piped up a dutiful "yes sir" with most of the rest nodding and one or two pretending to be awake.

"Good! Now, out to the field!"

- - - -

"Howdy, y'all three! Ah'm here instead of Mr. Henri." A lanky brunette with her hair pulled back in a plaid headband drawled, curtsying.

"Mr. Henry?" Lily asked, pronouncing the H.

"Naw, Mr. Henri. It's French." The brunette explained.

"Okay… Who's Mr. Henri?" Leah asked, confused.

"Only the best costume designer in the entahre state!" The brunette bubbled, her accent strengthening slightly.

"Okay… and who are you?" Noah asked.

"Oh, me? Only his intern! Mah name's Debora, but you can call me Debby. Mr. Henri had an important meetin' to go to, last minute and all, Ah swear the man's a genius but he has to get a day planner! Anyways, he already spoke with your band director over the phone, so he sent me to measure y'all three! Ah'll need to start with Galinda."

"That would be me." Leah said. "Hi, I'm Leah."

"Well howdy, Miss Leah. Go in one of the practice rooms and disrobe. Mr. Henri prefers to have real intimate measurements. Just leave on your bra and panties, Miss Leah. Ah assume you're not goin' commando?" Debora explained with the straight face of a professional.

"Yes… ma'am…" Leah blushed, following orders.

"Y'all two stay out here, ya hear? Ah'll be done measuring her right quick. And Fiyero?"

"Um… It's Noah." Noah introduced himself.

"Okay, Mr. Noah. I hope you're okay with mah measuring you. I mean, if you're not, I can tell you how to do it."

"No, it'll be fine." Noah blushed.

"Yes, sir. Now, y'all two conversate amongst yourselves. Ah'll be done right quick, like Ah said." Debora drawled before heading into the practice room with Leah.

_**HORRIBLE HORRIBLE ARGH KILL. Sorry... But see what I mean? Review pretty please... And if you guys have any better ideas for the title of this one, I'm all ears. I mean, nothing happened in the chapter, so I couldn't think of a good title. Sadface.**_


	10. If You Were Gay

**Authoress's Note: I am so sorry that it took me so long to update, especially with such a crappy chapter! I've been dealing with drama in real life, and I didn't want that to bleed over to the story. Well, here's the necessary chapter... hopefully I'll get to interesting plot things again.**

Lily sat cross-legged on the ground, arms in a matching position. "Such a fun break from marching this is, alone in the band room with you." She snarled at Noah.

"Come on, Lily. You heard Mr. Jonathan. We have to start getting along." Noah sighed.

"No, we don't. We just have to stop fighting." Lily scoffed, turning away from Noah.

_And what a fine job of that we're doing… _Noah thought, sighing. _Let's try a different tactic._

Without warning, Noah plopped down next to his best friend. "Remember our first band camp?"

Lily giggled. "You mean back in ninth grade, when I thought guys had cooties?" she suggested.

"You did not!" Noah laughed. "You just thought we were all plotting to kill you."

"I like cooties better. Makes me seem less psychotic." Lily smirked, turning back towards Noah.

"Yeah, well remember the drum major then?"

"You mean Kevin? Of course I do! He was pretty danged hot. I think every girl in band wanted in his pants." Lily chuckled. "And a few guys, too."

"Some things never change." Noah sighed. "Well, I'm glad guys aren't crushing on me."

"That you know of!" Lily giggled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Noah glared.

"Nothing, just that you'd be in good shape if you were gay." Lily grinned.

"Oh dear God…" Noah groaned, praying Lily didn't start…

"That'd be okay! I mean 'cuz hey, I'd like you anyway!"

Yup. She started singing, serenading Noah in a voice even Paula Abdul would criticize.

"I am not gay!"

"If you WERE gay." Lily laughed, finishing up the quote.

"Ugggh." Noah groaned.

"Come on, have a little fun. You always look like you have a stick up your ass lately." Lily punched Noah lightly in the arm.

"Fine, fine. But you know… I wish so many girls didn't have a crush on me. And guys, apparently. I bet you half the band fantasized that they had given me this hickey." Noah frowned.

"Probably did. Most of the band would probably kill me if they knew, too."

"Yeah… Why did we do it?" Noah frowned, biting his lower lip.

"Because we're both stubborn and wanted to prove the other person wrong?" Lily suggested.

"I know that. I mean, why did you give that as a way for me to prove you wrong?" Noah asked.

"So that you could prove me wrong? It was kind of spur of the moment."

"You sure you're not one of the million girls who want in my pants?" Noah chuckled.

"Ew, most definitely not! You're not that attractive."

"What do you mean? I think I am quite hot." Noah laughed again, striking a super model pose.

"Well for one, I'm taken." Lily said nervously, biting her lower lip.

"Yeah, I know, by Jason." Noah chuckled.

"No, by… someone else…" Lily swallowed, a lump forming in her throat.

"What, is Jason your coverup? You have a secret boyfriend your mom wouldn't approve of?" Noah grinned.

"Um… yeah. He's totally hot… dropped out of high school, though… and he's um… way older than me. Lives two states away." Lily lied. _Damnit why can't I tell him?_

"Ooh, scandalous!" Noah giggled girlishly. "Tell me more!"

Thankfully, Debora came back out with Leah in tow.

"Ya turn, Mr. Noah." She grinned, fiddling with the tape measure. "Y'all gals can handle yourselves, raht?"

"Yes ma'am." Lily stiffened, nodding.

"Good. Mr. Noah, go in there and disrobe. Leave ya underwear, on."

"Yes ma'am." Noah nodded, wandering into the practice room. _Ha, how ironic… the gay man going into the closet…_

- - - -

"So, Lily." Leah started, keeping a stiff upper lip.

"Yes, Leah?" Lily answered, equally as cold.

"Do you know how Noah got that hickey?"

"I have no idea. Didn't he say he hit his bedpost?"

"Yes, but I'm not that dumb. I think he got together with some tramp in the band."

"Some tramp, eh? What a wonderful band captain you are, accusing some female so." Lily gulped, trying to keep anger out of her voice.

"But who else could it be?"

"I haven't a clue." Lily gulped again.

"Ah, well. I suppose if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. You know, he broke up with me this morning. I think he has found himself somebody else." Leah explained, barely choking back tears.

"Is that so? Well, I'm certain he's not dumping you for somebody else." Lily tried to be reassuring, but failed.

"I suppose." Leah nodded. The pair sat in silence until Debora wandered out again with a blushing Noah.

"Miss Lily, please come here." Debora directed, sweeping a hand towards the practice room.

"Yes ma'am."

- - - -

"Noah, can we please talk?" Leah asked.

"About what?" Noah asked back, confused.

"About us! I mean… God! Why are we 'taking a break'?" Leah groaned, using air quotes.

"Because… I don't want us to go way too fast… We're high schoolers, babe! We're too young to think about forever!" Noah half-said, half-yelled.

"If this was the 1500s, we'd be married with three kids by now!" Leah whined.

"Thank God this isn't the 1500s, because I aim to get a nice, long education before I marry you or anyone else." Noah grunted. "End of discussion, please."

"It's that slutty freshman, isn't it? Cassie or Capone or whatever her name is?" Leah screamed.

"What? No! I'm not interested in any girl other than you, but I still think this break is the best idea." Noah yelled.

"You're a damned liar, Noah! I know that's a hickey, not some damned bruise! Who the hell gave you that?" Leah screamed louder than a murder victim.

"IT IS A BRUISE!" Noah yelled, before walking out of the band room.

"Liar…" Leah whispered to Noah's back.

- - - -

***hums "If You Were Gay"* Hahaha. Lily totally has my sense of humor. I know, technically all the characters are my creations and a mother shouldn't play favorites, but... just don't tell Leah. She might get jealous, and we can all see how she gets when she gets jealous. Mwahaha. So, when this band camp is finally over, I'm going to have a Q&A chapter. No spoilers or plot questions, mostly because I'm making this whole thing up as I go... But if you want to ask something like "What does Noah like so much about Jason?" or "OHEMGEE LILY AND BELI IT TOTALLY RHYMES WAS THAT PLANNED?", go ahead. Leave them in a review or a message to me.**


	11. And He Would Say

**Authoress's Note: Yay! A chapter in 24 hours! And poor Belinda. I feel for her, I really do... The little timid thing... But yup... I failed on epic proportions when I uploaded chapter 10 before... this is the real deal, you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own a marching band. Or a car.  
**

"Beli, why do you get to be in charge?" a guard girl taunted during a water break. "Are you sleeping with Lily?"

Belinda gulped her water, trying to hide her nervousness. "No… I guess Mr. Jonathan decided to put me in charge for the marching. You know my high mark time is amazing, after all."

"True. But you can't jazz run for crap." Another girl joked, poking Belinda in the ribs. Belinda squeaked and blushed. It was true, her jazz run looked more like the running of the bulls in Madrid.

"Alright, girl, back to the block!" Mr. Jonathan yelled. "Belinda, can I talk to you?"

Belinda gulped again. "Y…yes sir. Um, guard... back to block!" Belinda tried to bellow authoritatively, but it came out sounding like a kitten trying to sound like a lion. The guard girls around her giggled under their breath before sprinting back into formation.

"Belinda, why are you letting them walk all over you? You're one of the best marchers in the entire band!" Mr. Jonathan asked gently.

"I… I don't know sir. I mean… I'm one of the youngest guard girls, other than the two freshmen who joined this year. They're all so much more experienced than I am."

"But you're better. I trusted you to be in charge this morning because I know you have it in you. Don't make me a liar." Mr. Jonathan said, his voice a mix of sternness and concern.

"Yes sir…." Belinda nodded timidly.

"Good. Now, get into block and start being a little harder on the girls. They'll quit making fun of you, promise." Mr. Jonathan nodded, before walking off towards the instructors.

- - - -

"Oh my gawd!" Raine squealed to her chat companion, a junior flute player named Bao. "Can you like believe it? I'm totally in charge!"

"Like, I know!" Bao squealed back. "I am like soooo proud of you!"

"OH MY GAWD." Jason squealed in imitation of the girls. "LIKE I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW OBNOXIOUS IT IS WHEN I SOUND LIKE A TOTAL VALLEY GIRL."

"Like a what?" Raine asked.

"Yeah, like, I have no idea what that is." Bao frowned.

"Bao, get back to your place in block. Raine, this is work time, not chit chat time." Jason glared.

"You're not the boss of me!" Raine glared back, putting her hands on her hips defiantly.

"I didn't say that I was. But you certainly aren't acting responsible enough to be in charge of the band. Band time is not talking time, or play time, or fun time. It is work time." Jason lectured. "Now, are you ready to lead your fellow Marauders, or will I have to take over for you?"

"I'll lead them." Raine muttered, shooting daggers at Jason. "MARAUDERS! Now we will practice parade marching. Form our block, four across and three steps between each row. We will make four laps around the track and then see where to go from there. Got that?" _Professional enough for you, Mr. Drummer?_

_- - - -  
_

"Man, marching is so peaceful without Leah out here." Calanthe sighed happily to Alanis during the next water break. "I'm almost upset that they'll be done and back out here before noon."

"Despite the fact that you can't ogle Noah when he's in the band room and you're out here?" Alanis nudged her sister.

"Yes, despite that. You know what, though? He trusted me enough this morning to come to me for advice. Me!" Calanthe squealed. "I feel so special!"

"Um… Weren't we like the only people in the band room when Noah showed up this morning?" Alanis asked, confused.

"That's not the point. He still confided in me." Calanthe grumbled.

"Who confided in you?" Nina asked, wandering up to the twins.

"Her pen pal. In Canada." Alanis stammered quickly. Calanthe grinned. _Who knew Alanis was a good liar?_

"Ah. A long-distance relationship?" Nina questioned, longing for some good drama.

"No, purely platonic, Nina." Calanthe stammered as quickly as her sister had. "Alanis, I'll show you his letter later."

"Okay, sis. I gotta go ask Cara something." Alanis mumbled, heading over to the other flute girls.

"I gotta go ask Mr. Aiden something. See you later, Nina." Calanthe nodded goodbye, wandering over to the high brass instructor.

- - - -

"Marauders!" Mr. Jonathan bellowed sometime around 11. Even the freshmen were already used to the routine of circling around their director.

"I just received word that Lily, Leah, and Noah are done with their fittings. However, it doesn't seem to make much sense to work on drill for an hour, and I know another hour of marching block would kill you guys, so you get a rare break. One hour, plus your hour for lunch. If you can drive, you can leave, but be safe and be in your sectionals by one o' clock. High brass in the band room, low brass in the drama room, percussion in the cafeteria, woodwinds in the theatre, guard in the gymnasium. Anybody late to sectionals will be doing 25 pushups for every minute they are late. Drive safe, but be punctual. Dismissed!"

Almost instantly, people without licenses were begging their driving friends to take them to McDonald's. Upperclassmen were coordinating spontaneous lunch rush trips to the Late Nite, and a few couples were plotting the best locations for a quickie.

- - - -

Lily, Leah, and Noah strolled onto the practice field, mostly ignoring each other.

"Hey, you three. We get a two hour break, we're dismissed until one. Wanna hit up the Late Nite with the low brass and the other upperclassmen?" Jason asked, posing like a carnival barker.

"Ew, low brass? No thanks!" Leah scoffed, before flouncing away indignantly.

"Hmm… Now that Leah's guaranteed not to be there, count me in!" Noah chuckled.

"Me too, sweetie." Lily grinned. "Man, I love this!"

"Hey guys… Can I come along?" Belinda asked timidly, bouncing up to the trio.

"Of course, Beli! That is, provided Jason or Noah's willing to give you a ride." Lily giggled.

"I'll give her a ride, leave you two lovebirds alone." Noah volunteered.

"See ya in a few, then." Jason waved goodbye and started heading to his car. "Your chariot awaits, madame."

Lily giggled again. "Okay, sweetie. See you two in a few." Lily echoed to her best friend's and her favorite guard girl's backs.

- - - -

"Hey Bao, you ready to head to the park?" Raine asked, twirling a set of keys in her hand.

"Like, I heard most of the band kids are going to the Late Nite… We should go too!" Bao whined.

"No. I don't like the Late Nite, you know that. It's always so crowded and… just no."

"Please, Raine-Drop?" Bao whimpered, pulling out Raine's familial nickname.

"NO."

"Please?"

"NO!"

"Come on! I heard that, like, Colin totally works there as a busboy! We can go, eat a little, and keep an eye out for the British eye candy!"

"OH MY GAWD he seriously works there? Race you to the car!" Raine squealed, breaking into a dead run towards her little red Taurus.

"Cheater! You got a head start!" Bao giggled, chasing the drum major to the parking lot.

- - - -

"Alanis!" Calanthe giggled. "Some of the girls are playing Truth or Dare during break. Want to join?"

"Sure thing…" Alanis nodded, heading over to the circle.

"Okay, so we play with special rules, mostly because… well Truth or Dare with band kids can be dangerous without rules. No Dares that involve nudity, sex, alcohol, drugs, or anything else that you wouldn't want your mom to see. No asking the person who asked you. And nothing leaves the Truth or Dare circle." Cara proclaimed, apparently the self-appointed leader of the pack. Nobody seemed to mind, however, with most of the girls nodding in agreement with the rules.

"Good. Now, who wants to start?"

- - - -

"So…" Belinda started, as she buckled herself into Noah's passenger seat.

"Yes, Belinda?" Noah asked. He hadn't hung out much with the sophomore, but if Mr. Jonathan trusted her enough to put her in charge, she had to be a pretty good person.

"So… you and Lily are pretty close, right?"

"Yeah, I'd say so… I've known her for forever…"

"When did she discover she was gay?"

"Lily's gay?" Noah muttered.

"Oh… so… I let the cat out of the bag, hu-uh?" Belinda mumbled, shrinking into her seat.

"LILY'S GAY?" Noah repeated, screaming loud enough for people on Pluto to hear.

- - - -

**"And He Would Say" from Peach Blossom Fan. Bam! I am still going strong on the showtunes titles. Don't forget to ask questions... only have a few more chapters until the Q&A! And thank you to MiraClarinet for reviewing faithfully.**


	12. Seasons of Love

_**Authoress's Note: The much anticipated (well, by one person, probably...) continuation of last chapter! Sorry, my computer had a virus. But it turned out to be a good thing, because while I was going through technological withdrawal, I dwelled on a now-absent part of this chapter about Beli and Lily. As written, they were being your typical band kid couple, but... I didn't really want that. I'll address why at the end of this story, but for now... just be glad I changed it.**_

_**Disclaimer: Yes, most band kid couples get it on wherever, whenever, however. Accept it and move on.**_

"Look, I'm sorry, I just… I thought you knew!" Belinda squealed apologetically.

"It's… it's okay…" Noah nodded, still in shock. "I just… I've known her since before I could speak. My first word wasn't 'mama' or 'dada', it was 'leelee'. I mean, we have the closest relationship a guy and a girl could have without being attracted to each other. How could I have not known…?"

"You had no idea? Man, we're sneakier than I thought." Belinda mumbled.

"WE?" Noah screeched again.

"Dangit I need to learn to keep my big mouth shut!" Belinda yelled.

"It's not your fault, Belinda. I just… wow I'm so oblivious." Noah said soothingly. "I mean, I knew Jason was a cover, but Lily said it was for a secret boyfriend, and seeing as how you're female…" he mumbled, rattling on.

"He's a cover?" Belinda squealed, this time happily. "So she still loves me!"

"Um… yes… But… let's share a secret of our own, Belinda." Noah suggested. "I guess despite how close we are, or maybe because of it, Lily's too uncomfortable to come out to me, so don't let her know I already know. Deal?"

"Um… Deal." Belinda nodded. "As long as you don't tell anyone that I'm dating her."

"Deal." Noah grinned. "So, how long have you been dating Lily?" he asked, acting like an overprotective big brother.

"Since early May, so about 3, almost 4 months." Belinda answered matter-of-factly.

"Well that's wonderful…" Noah nodded. "Well, we're almost to the Late Nite. Remember our deal, big mouth."

"Yes sir." Belinda nodded, squirming anxiously.

- - - -

"I wonder what Beli and Noah are talking about…" Lily murmured.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Poor girl's probably unconscious with the joy of being in Mr. Drum Major's passenger seat. Well, lesbianism aside." Jason chuckled.

"I doubt that. Girl's got a good head on her shoulders, she doesn't seem very likely to ooh and ahh over Noah."

"But she's a sophomore, and likelihood to crush on the drum major increases with how young one is. She's practically a little girl, there is only a one percent chance that she doesn't like Noah."

"Whatever." Lily rolled her eyes.

"What's the matter, you in love with a little sophomore? I thought you were the love them and leave them type… Which may make this relationship hard to explain after we hit the one month mark…"

"I am normally the love them and leave them type…" Lily blushed. "But… never mind. I just… I feel horrible when I do anything that would break her heart."

"Like she cares. She's an underclassman, she'll get over it." Jason nodded sagely. "Enjoy your time with her while you can."

"I guess…" Lily nodded in agreement. "Man, when did you get smart?"

"If anybody else asks you that question, I got smart when we started going out." Jason smirked. "That sounds appropriately disgusting and lovey dovey."

"Got it." Lily chuckled. "So, is this lunch your treat?"

"My what?" Jason asked.

"Well, you do like to pay for your girlfriend's meals, right?"

"Oh, you little blackmailer." Jason smirked, punching her lightly in the arm.

"We all do what we do best." Lily smiled. "Here's the Late Nite now. Holy hell a lot of people came here…"

"Ov course, dahlink. Every vun goes vere ve go." Jason imitated a high-class woman.

"You're so insane, Jason!" Lily giggled, stepping out of the car.

"I'm a band geek, insanity is a prerequisite."

- - - -

"Oh my God, I might totally shoot myself!" a blonde squealed to her friend.

"Calm down Leah, there's no need for suicide." The brunette in the driver's seat said soothingly.

"Really? I spend four years in band and cheerleading and student government and AP classes and every extracurricular known to man but for some reason I can't find a single scholarship and I know that I'll get accepted to a college but I need to find one I can afford and it's so ridiculously stressful it's not funny and my only hope for any relief is more stress by being the captain of everything and getting straight A's, which is a lot easier when most of your teachers are male but that's not the point but on top of all this stress…." Leah rambled on and on.

"Leah, I will punch you if you don't stop babbling like an idiot. You don't need to stress. Whatever college you decide to go to will be bowing at your feet and throwing Benjamins at you. I mean, you're the perfect student. Who wouldn't want you?"

Leah sniffled. "Noah."

"What?" the brunette screeched.

"Gabriela, he broke up with me this morning. Well, technically he said we should 'take a break', but the man has no backbone so I know that's his way of dumping me flat on my ass. And you know what? It seemed like… He said it was because I feel too strongly about him, but I think he's been banging some other girl on the side."

"She's probably a slut, so just relax. He's the drum major, you're the band captain. You two are perfect for each other." Gabriela said calmly.

"Yeah, I guess…" Leah nodded.

"And you know what? If it still doesn't work out, you still have a few more cliché relationships to run through. I mean, there's cheerleading captain and quarterback, valedictorian and salutatorian, girl next door and guy from the wrong side of the tracks… Take your pick."

"Haha, Gabi." Leah giggled, sniffling.

"Personally, you should go for quarterback. Liam's pretty hot and if the rumors are true, he's amazing in bed."

"Geez, Gabi, you're such a dude. Nobody else I know is so concerned with sex."

"Hey, that's not fair. I'm concerned with other people's sex. That makes me a gossip monger, not a dude." Gabriela frowned in mock offense.

"Okay, Miss Grapevine."

"That's Señorita Grapevine to you, gringa." Gabriela giggled.

- - - -

"Hey, it's about time you two got here." Nina grinned at Leah and Jason. "Everyone else has been here for like ten minutes."

"Yeah man, you must be like Speedy Gonzalez or something." Alonzo guffawed. Lily made herself blush, but knew that if the trombonists were making sex jokes, her and Jason were passing themselves off as an authentic couple.

"Man, you know I take a lot longer than ten minutes." Jason slapped Alonzo on the back. "Unlike you, I mean you can pop a burrito in the microwave, go have sex, and come back before it's warmed up."

"Hey, man, that's not cool." Alonzo groaned.

"Yeah, Jason, you know that Alonzo had already warmed up his hand before he popped the burrito in." Nicu laughed.

"I hate you guys." Alonzo moaned, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You know we're just playing." Jason grinned, ruffling Alonzo's hair playfully.

Lily sat down next to Nina. "Man, this restaurant is full."

"No kidding. Want to know something weird, though?" Nina whispered.

"What?" Lily leaned in.

"Belinda and Noah arrived here together. And he broke up with Leah this morning, so we all think he was cheating on her with Belinda. Scandalous, right? I mean, she's a sophomore!"

"Yeah, ultra scandalous. Can you do me a favor and order me a lemonade? I need to go to the bathroom." Lily plastered on a fake grin.

"No prob!" Nina smiled back.

- - - -

**OMG WUT HAPPENED W/ U N BELI ON THE WAY HERE?!?!?!**

Noah looked down at his phone.

"What's the matter?" Belinda asked. Lily hadn't arrived at the restaurant yet when she got there, so she sat with Noah to wait for them.

"Nothing, just… Leah trying to win me back." Noah lied quickly.

**Nothing. We were just chit chatting. She was so nervous, it was hilarious.**

**U SWEAR NUTHIN HAPPENED?!?!?!**

**Yes, I swear. Why?**

**LO BRASS THINKS U 2 GOT IT ON. **

**WHAT!!!!! **Noah answered, screeching inside his head.

**YA!**

Since Noah was ignoring her, concentrated on his own drama, Belinda looked down at her phone when it ringed with a text.

**WHERE R U SITTING BELI**

**next 2 noah. where r u, lily?**

**BATHROOM ESCAPING FROM NINA.**

**ah. when ur dun u want 2 sit next 2 us?**

**WHO IS US**

**o u kno. ur bf, ur gf, n ur bff.**

**SOUND LIK A PLAN CAN U HELP ME**

**help u w/ wut?**

**THE TOILET WONT FLUSH.**

**leave it 2 u 2 screw up a toilet hahaha.**

Belinda giggled as she sent off her last text. "Hey Noah, I'm going to be right back. Gotta visit the little guard girl's room."

"No problem." Noah waved his hand as Jason sat down. "Hey man, what's up?" _Hey, hot stuff, what's shaking? Man I wish I had more game…_

"Eh, not much. Other than you and Belinda… Low brass thinks you two are together, or at least according to Nina."

"I… no. I mean, I just broke up with Leah this morning…" Noah shrugged. _Oh dear God no don't think of me as taken._

"But if you hadn't just broken up with Leah…" Jason nudged his friend.

"I don't know. I mean, she's a sophomore. I'd feel like a major pedophile." Noah sighed. _But a senior… That'd be amazing… Especially a senior of the percussionist captain variety…_

"And it's not like any of the band girls are much better. They're on you like I'm on free food." Jason grinned.

"Precisely!" Noah nodded. _He did say none of the band girls, not band kids… So it's not a lie, right?_ "Maybe I could somehow stay single until graduation…" _Or you could ask me out… dear sweet Jesus don't be telepathic…_

"Good luck with that one. Without Leah to protect you, the hordes of fangirls will eat you whole."

- - - -

"Oh my God, he's right there… With Jason? I would have thought whoever his slut was would be sitting with him." Leah frowned.

"Maybe he's turned gay?" Gabriela suggested playfully.

"Oh, Gabi, don't even suggest something so horrendous! That is so immoral! My Noah would never do something so horrible!" Leah gasped

"I'm just kidding. Although, if Noah were gay, it might explain why he broke up with the perfect girlfriend." Gabriela stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"Stop it! I need to prove I'm over him…" Leah nodded. "Let's go mingle with the…" Leah paused and groaned "low brass…"

**_Authoress Again: Dun dun dun! Yes, I know, the low brass seem to be the most stereotypically annoying in this story. And the most gossip-y, as well. Hahaha. I'm going to have to finish this story before the end of March if I have any hope of finishing the season out before school starts next August. My goal had been to finish it before school ends in May, but... I don't see that happening._**

**_ETA (03/07/10): I forgot to explain the Lily/Beli thing. My oops! But as written, the texting between Lily and Beli was a lot more flirty and sexual, with Beli sneaking into the single-stall bathroom for something along the lines of a female/female Chapter 4 and a half. But as I thought more and more about it, I realized that while I wanted some of the band couples to be sex-driven (like Leah and Noah), I didn't want them all to be like that. Some couples just need to have more of an "aww" factor, and that's what I'm shooting for with Lily and Beli. More importantly, I just couldn't see a shy little sophomore getting it on in a restaurant bathroom, so I re-wrote the second half of this chapter to exclude our favorite guard girls while still moving Beli away from Ground Zero next to Noah. Not my best work, but better than the alternative.  
_**


	13. Memory

_**Authoress's Note: This took most of today to write, but it came out really well. And leaves me a bunch of side threads to expand on later. I'm running out of conventions, though. Bold is texting, bold and italic are my notes, italic is thought, and italic and centered is flashback. What am I going to do if I have to do Facebook or something?**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Facebook. But I do want a glass of lemonade now.  
**_

"What is taking that girl so long?" Nina asked, absentmindedly sipping at Lily's lemonade. "Her ice is melting."

"Her ice is not melting." Nicu scoffed. "You're drinking it too fast for the ice to have time to melt!"

"Well it's not my fault she's taking so long in there." Nina scowled.

"Might as well order her another lemonade to Noah and Jason's table." Jacob shrugged.

"Why? Nina's enjoying her drink on Lily's tab too much." Alonzo laughed.

"Oh, shut up." Nina scowled again. "This place is boring without the karaoke."

"It's the middle of the day, what do you expect?" Nicu sighed.

"A little more fun?" Nina sighed. "I'm gonna go see what is taking that stupid guard girl so long."

"Fine, see ya in a few." Alonzo waved, scarfing down his third burger.

Lily and Belinda heard a knock at the door.

"Lily, it's me, Nina. What's taking so long? I'm on your third lemonade already!"

"Dangit…" Belinda muttered under her breath.

"What's dangit? You were helping me unplug the toilet." Lily said, shaking her head.

"Just saying, never heard of a plumber shoving her tongue down her girlfriend's throat to fix a toilet." Belinda sighed.

"That was celebration!" Lily hissed.

"I wasn't complaining…" Belinda mumbled.

"Hush." Lily hissed before opening the door to the single-stall bathroom.

"What in the world are you doing in here?" Nina asked, scratching her head in confusion.

"Well… The toilet wouldn't flush, so I texted Beli to have her help me… We got it fixed, though…" Lily explained sheepishly.

"And it didn't even overflow." Belinda interjected quickly, pride filling her voice.

"Uh-huh… Well, like I said, you're on your third lemonade." Nina shrugged. "It's out here waiting on you."

"Thanks, Nina." Lily smiled. After Nina slammed the door closed, Lily turned back to Belinda.

"I guess that's it for this undercover session." Lily grinned.

"I guess so…" Belinda said, blushing.

"Well, not quite the end…" Lily said, giggling, before giving Belinda a chaste kiss on the lips. Belinda blushed harder, but smiled nonetheless.

"You head on out first." Lily motioned towards the door. Belinda nodded, gently opening and closing the door.

"That girl is so adorable when she blushes." Lily mumbled as she turned on the faucet.

"Hello, Noah." Leah said, ice flowing through her voice.

"Hey, ba… Leah." Noah answered. _Old habits really do die hard._

"So, mind if I sit here?" Leah motioned towards the seat to his left.

"Um… Actually, Lily's sitting there." Noah answered sheepishly.

"Here?" Leah asked, walking to his right.

"Um… Belinda. She's… actually pretty cool…" Noah muttered.

_Huh. I'm surprised you didn't bring that freshman along, too. Just add to the list of girls you hang out with that I can't stand._ Leah thought.

"Well, that's okay. We were gonna sit with my cousin anyway, remember Leah?" Gabriela threw in, trying to salvage her friend's pride.

"Yeah… Hope Alonzo doesn't check out my tits like last time." Leah smiled, laughing at her own joke.

"Good luck with that…" Noah said, waving goodbye.

"Like hell Alonzo's checking her out. No offense Noah, but I don't understand what you saw in her." Jason shrugged.

"Me either." Noah frowned, while remembering exactly how he had met the now-wicked blonde.

"Chica, what did you ever see in that spineless wimp?" Gabriela asked. Not really wanting to hang out with the low brass, the two had sat down at a table for two.

"We were freshmen, almost sophomores…" Leah smiled, her eyes looking somewhere far away.

"What can I get you two ladies to get today?" the waiter interrupted. "Our special is the Chicken Noodle Soup. Good for what ails you, and you look like you could use some doctoring." He said to Leah, patting her on the back.

Leah sat up, full of pride. "Some of your medicine sounds like a good idea to me. I'd like a bowl of the chicken noodle and a tall glass of water."

"And I'll have a bowl of chips and Salsa Verde, a plate full of homemade tortillas, and a tall Coke." Gabriela grinned. "Gracías, hombre."

"I'll be right back with your drinks. And you can call me Aaron." The waiter added, flashing a smile at Leah.

As he walked away, Gabriela squealed. "Gringa, he's pretty hot!"

"And perfect to use to make Noah jealous." Leah grinned.

"Ooh, you sound downright malevolent." Gabriela giggled. "I like it, Chica."

"Like what?" Aaron asked, placing Leah's water carefully next to her.

"Y'all's tortillas, hombre." Gabriela grinned.

"They're almost as delicious as you." Leah cooed. She could see a light blush make its way over Aaron's face. _Oh yeah, I got it._

"But there's no way they're better than you." Aaron shot back. "Maybe you could call me when I get off at 6?"

"Unfortunately, I'm at band practice until well after that. But I'll call you then?" Leah grinned.

"Sounds like a plan." Aaron grinned, writing his phone number on a napkin. "Here you go..." Aaron nodded, searching for a name.

"Leah." The band captain nodded.

"Here you go, Leah. Tortillas, chips, soup, and a little something extra coming right up." Aaron grinned, heading into the kitchen.

"Gringa, looks like your plan is working." Gabriela whispered. "Noah's looking right at you."

"Let him look all he wants. He dumped me, he needs to beg me to come back, Gabi." Leah grinned maliciously.

"Go Gringa!" Gabriela cheered.

"Man, that's how she lured me in. A grin, a giggle, and a promise to call me." Noah sighed.

"What, she hitting on that waiter?" Jason asked. _Been there, done that, he's not anything special. _

"Yeah, I guess so. Just... makes me remember when we started going out..." Noah smiled, staring into space.

"_Hey Noah." A skinny, blonde girl greeted the saxophone player on the first day of band camp._

"_Hey Leah." The boy answered back, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose._

"_So, how was your summer?" the girl grinned._

"_Boring. Spent the whole time at home, well except for that time I broke my glasses and had to go to the optometrist." The boy shrugged, bending his head towards his shoulders like a turtle._

_The girl giggled. "I'll have to fix that, Noah. I'll call you sometime."_

"_Don't you need my number for that?" the boy asked quietly._

"_Of course, silly!" the girl giggled again. "Here, write it on my hand."_

"_But... you'll sweat it off." The boy mumbled sheepishly._

"_Then on a piece of old sheet music. Please?" The girl asked, puppy dog eyes staring deep into the saxophonist's._

"_Um... okay then..." the boy nodded. Digging through his ancient music folder, he found the first piece he'd ever learned. Writing his name and number on it in blue pen, his favorite color, he handed it to the blonde girl._

"_Thanks, Noah." The object of his gift giggled girlishly, giving him a peck on the cheek._

_Later, the boy realized it was his first kiss._

"You know, it was the fact that a girl was actually interested in me for once that convinced me to get contacts. Those coke bottle glasses weren't exactly a babe magnet, you know." Noah smiled at his friend.

"Neither were the braces, man. But we all deal with our nerdy phases." Jason grinned.

"Hey! I never outgrew my nerdiness. And I'm proud of it. But until I magically get twenty-twenty vision, contacts it is." Noah asserted happily.

Lily and Belinda plopped down at their respective seats to Noah's left and right. Lily's lemonade came soon after. "What are we talking about, boys?"

"How much of a little nerd Noah used to be, and how the pattern of being played like a fiddle by Leah began." Jason summarized. "Pretty interesting story, huh baby."

"Yeah, I remember that day..." Lily grinned. _That's the day I got my first girl crush... April was such an amazing captain..._

"Woah, Noah was a nerd?" Belinda asked.

"Oh, that's right, you would have been an eighth grader then, huh?" Noah asked. "Yes, I used to be a nerd. Glasses with tape, bowl cut, the whole nine yards."

"Don't forget the glow in the dark braces, the vampire-like complexion, and the polo shirts to practice." Lily giggled. "I don't know why, but somewhere in freshman year, you turned from an adorable little kid to an awkward teenager."

"And then he emerged from the cocoon of gangliness and became a very sexy butterfly." Jason grinned. "Now, he can't keep the girls off without a baseball bat."

"Ha ha, very funny you two." Noah sighed.

"I wish I could see a picture of nerdy Noah." Belinda gazed off into space.

"Knowing Noah, he's burned all of them already." Lily laughed.

"Most of them, anyway..." Noah mumbled.

"Remember when you asked him out?" Gabriela nudged Leah.

"Yeah..." Leah smiled. "So glad he grew more dominant..."

"_Hola, Gringa." A tanned sophomore greeted her friend._

"_Hey Gabi." The blonde answered._

"_I saw you hitting on Nerdlet over there." The brunette grinned._

"_Gabi, one day I'm going to be the band captain." The blonde started._

"_What happened to cheerleader, valedictorian, class president, all those things?" the brunette asked._

"_All those, too." The blonde sighed. "Get with the program, Gabi."_

"_Sorry." The brunette threw her arms up. "But I don't see what your sense of overachievement has to do with the nerdlet, Chica."_

"_He may be a nerd, but he's talented. One day, he'll be woodwind captain, if not drum major outright. I'm sure of it. And if I'm going to be the perfect student on and off campus, I'm going to need the perfect boyfriend. I'm staking my claim before anybody else."_

"_I don't see anybody else beating down his door, Gringa."_

"_I promise you. Once I'm through with him, they will be."_

"What's up guys?" Nina asked, wandering over to the twosome's table.

"Reminiscing about sophomore year." Gabriela smiled.

"Ah. You mean about Noah's transformation sophomore year? Thank God those x-ray specs didn't last that long." Nina laughed.

_"Noah, was Leah really hitting on you earlier?" the girl holding the trombone asked the boy in the woodwinds._

"_Yeah, why?" the boy answered._

"_Don't you think it's a little odd that the girl who wouldn't give you the time of day last year wants to give you her number this year?" the girl asked curiously._

"_I... I didn't think of it that way." The boy answered, pushing his glasses up his nose._

"_Okay then... Whatever floats your boat." The girl sighed._

"Yeah, those things were horrible." Leah chuckled. "I think he ran them over."

"Did they break?" Gabriela asked.

"No, they popped his tire." Leah grinned. "Good times. That was back when he first got his license." _We sure made good use of his car that day..._

"Dang. Those are some strong glasses." Nina exclaimed. "Although, despite the braces, glasses, and general nerdiness, he still wasn't all that bad."

"I guess that's what attracted me. The potential. That must have been it..." Leah said, he voice trailing off.

_"Um... Leah?" the boy asked._

"_Hey Noah. Where were you today? You missed the middle day of band camp." The blonde cocked her head to one side._

"_Yeah... I went to the orthodontist. See?" the boy grinned, his smile reaching ear to ear._

"_You got rid of the braces?" the girl observed._

"_Yup! So..."_

"_So... what?"_

"_I was wondering if you might, you know... Want to go out some time? They're having a karaoke night down at the Late Nite Diner Saturday night, or at least that's what the upperclassmen are saying."_

"_That sounds wonderful, Noah. See you then."_

"I still remember the song he sang you." Gabriela said, smiling.

"Yeah, 'My Heart Will Go On'." Leah smiled sadly.

"You know, for such a nerd, he had a powerful stage presence." Nina nodded.

"He still does. That's why he's drum major. He can catch a crowd's attention." Leah grinned.

"And their hearts, too." Nina sighed.

"Remember that karaoke night?" Lily asked. "You made me tag along in case it didn't work out."

"Yeah... And you convinced me to sing her a song." Noah laughed.

"But I never told you to sing Celine Dion! I was so afraid that Leah would think you were a flamer." Lily laughed.

"She sang Celine Dion right back, didn't she?" Noah asked.

_"I would like to devote this song to Noah..." the blonde girl mumbled into the microphone._

_Starting with a deep breath, she sang along to the lyrics on screen._

"_Don't know much about your life_

_Don't know much about your world but_

_Don't wanna be alone tonight_

_On this planet they call Earth"_

_She seemed to go on autoplay, feeling the emotions behind the song but not particularly affected by them until she got to the chorus._

"_What do you say to taking chances?_

_What do you say to jumping off the edge?_

_Never knowing if there's solid ground below_

_Or a hand to hold, or hell to pay_

_What do you say?"_

_With these words, everybody in the Diner could see the emotions playing out on her face, eyes screwed shut. It seemed as though she knew the song by heart, from the first note to the very last beat._

"Yeah..." Lily said, begrudgingly. "Was kind of unexpected from her, though."

"Hey, it's a good song!" Jason protested.

"It is a pretty good song..." Belinda said, blushing.

"It is." Noah nodded.

_"I loved the song you sang for me." The small boy said, hiding behind his glasses._

_"I'm glad you like it." The blonde said, blushing._

"_So... will you be my girlfriend? I'd love to take a chance with you."_

"_Of course!" the girl squealed, planting another kiss on his cheek._

"Those were good times." Leah nodded, crying a little.

"Memories are good... But now to make a few new ones." Gabriela said, smiling as Aaron walked over to the table with a large slice of pie for each girl.

"Thank you." Leah grinned at the waiter. "I'll call you later."

"I'll be waiting." Aaron winked, walking back into the kitchen

"Those were some good times." Noah nodded, a tear sneaking out of his eye.

"They were. But it's time to move on." Jason smiled.

"Literally and figuratively. It's twelve twenty!" Lily screeched.

"Holy crap! Let's get out of here, I still have to ask Mr. Jonathan if I really have to wear tights." Noah said, freezing.

"Where the heck do you buy tights, anyway?" Belinda mumbled as she kept up with the mad dash to Noah and Jason's respective cars.

"See you two at the school." Lily smiled, hopping into Jason's passenger seat.

"See you!" Belinda called, buckling into her seat.

"Three two one, blastoff!" Noah laughed, quickly turning the key in the ignition.

**_Now back to the field! Hahaha. And to see what our underclassmen have been up to. Review with comments and criticism, pretty pretty please!_**

**_NOTE (5/12): It for cereal took me this long to realize that the Glee episode in question came out AFTER August. Oops.  
_**


	14. The Ladies Who Lunch

**_Authoress's Note: Wow. An almost-straight through chapter. Only three major snippets of action. Actually, this chapter doesn't do anything whatsoever except for explain where Raine and Bao went... because I forgot about them. Cut me a break, they're not my favorite characters. :) But the only other time I've done a story straight-through was "What Really Happened". If you haven't read it yet, it falls between chapters 4 and 5 of this story. And the reviews for it so far are great, so... up to you!_**

**_Disclaimer: Don't be sarcastic with a valley girl. They won't get it.  
_**

"I can't believe your car broke down!" Bao squealed.

"Like oh my God! We are going to be soooo late!" Raine moaned. "Like, what are we going to do!"

"Like, I don't know! I left my phone at the band room!" Bao cried.

"I have an idea!" Raine giggled. She pulled out her brand-new phone and called the band captain.

"Like, Leah?" she started.

"No, this is precisely Leah." The voice answered.

"What?" Raine scratched her head in confusion.

"Never mind. What do you need?"

"My car, like, broke down on the side of the road, right next to the park. Bao and I totally need a ride to the band room. Like, oh my God, I don't want to be late!" Raine squealed.

"If you act like a sensible person and quit squealing, I will send somebody to get you two."

"Like, thank you soooo much!" Raine giggled.

"Whatever." The voice on the other end of the phone sighed, hanging up.

Belinda sat up in her seat to Noah's right. "Um… I think I hear the marching music?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, that's my ringtone." Noah grinned. "Can you grab it for me?"

"Sure thing." Belinda nodded. Grabbing the phone from the cup holder in front of her, she looked at the caller ID. "It's Leah…" she grimaced.

"Crap." Noah groaned. "Just hand it here and don't make a sound while I'm on the phone. She'll get wildly jealous and think we're having sex."

"But… I'm gay…" Belinda scratched her head in confusion.

"Just shush!" Noah growled. Pressing the talk button, he answered "Hello?"

"Hey, Noah. I have a favor to ask you." The familiar voice started.

"And that would be?"

"Raine and Bao are being idiotic. Raine's pretty little Sweet 16 car broke down on the side of the road and they need somebody to pick them up. I figured your car was empty, so…"

_Is she trying to be nosy and see who I'm with?_ "As a matter of fact, I'm in the middle of giving Belinda a ride. Lily and Jason wanted some alone time, so she's right here."

"Well, you've still got a back seat, don't you? Please, h… Noah?"

"You know full well I've got a back seat." Noah sighed. "Whatever, where are they?"

"The park. Remember the swingset?" Leah giggled. "So, can you go get them?"

"Yeah, whatever. Just let Mr. J know where we are if we're late."

"Thanks, hu… Noah."

"Welcome." Noah groaned, hanging up and handing the phone back to Belinda.

"So we gotta go pick somebody up?" Belinda asked nervously.

"Yeah… Raine and Bao are broken down on the side of the road… We'll probably be slightly late… God, Mr. Jonathan's going to kill me."

"I'm sure he'll understand that you were helping your fellow drum major and her friend out." Belinda said calmly.

"You're right." Noah nodded, making a left turn.

"Calanthe, your turn. Truth or dare?" the senior piccolo player asked.

"Um… Truth." Calanthe squirmed nervously. Two of the older girls had ordered pizza for the game players, and a third had gone to the gas station for a few two-liters of soda. Playing on a full stomach made Truth or Dare more enjoyable, but marching would probably be hell later.

"Okay… Cutest guy in band?" Cara grinned.

"Does that even need to be asked!" Hai smirked. Being bored out of his skull, the Asian high brass member had joined the girls' game.

"It's definitely not you!" Alanis laughed.

"It's Noah!" Calanthe grinned.

"Who else?" Cara giggled. "That boy could light a bonfire by touching it with his index finger!"

"But is it because he's a flamer or because he's hot?" Alanis smiled. "Rumor has it he's jealous of Jason and Lily, but nobody seems to know which one he's more jealous of."

Calanthe bit her tongue. "Well, my turn to ask, right?' she blurted, eager to change the topic.

"Um… sure?" one of the clarinet players nodded. "Shoot."

Calanthe asked one of the woodwinds a minor question to restart the game. Eventually, however, Cara asked Calanthe another question.

"Why were you so eager to change the topic earlier?"

"I… I have no idea what you're talking about." Calanthe gulped, swallowing a bite of pepperoni.

"What do you know that we don't?" a clarinetist asked.

"I don't know anything." _That's not a lie… I mean, I only know one side, and in the world of journalism that means I don't know anything…_

"Are you sure?" a flute asked.

"Ab… absolutely!" Calanthe stammered. "I… I mean, why would the drum major confide in a freshman?"

"True." Cara laughed loudly.

"But it seems like… well, if he truly is jealous of his two best friends and he dumped his perfect girlfriend, he needs a confidante." A saxophone pondered aloud. "A neutral one, at that."

"Eh, he's so hot, it's obvious all you girls want him. Why would he choose a female to confide in?" Hai asked. "And guys just don't do that 'talk about our feelings' crap."

"What are you doing right now?" Alanis asked.

"Hm… Well, I'm the only guy in a room full of girls sharing their deepest, darkest secrets while wearing tank tops and short shorts. So, I think I win this little contest." Hai smirked.

"You don't quite win, Hai. None of us have your tongue down our throat and all of us are very grateful for that." Calanthe laughed.

"Curses." Hai mumbled. "Time check!"

"Quarter 'till. We should probably dispose of the evidence of junk food." Cara smiled. "Somebody take the pizza boxes to the trash, I'll put the soda in my car."

"I'm on it." A clarinet player nodded, grabbing as many in her arms as she could.

"Like oh my God! Thank you so so so so much!" Bao squealed as Noah pulled up next to the swingset.

"No… problem?" Noah answered. _I hope my ears aren't bleeding from that…_

"So where do we sit?" Raine grinned ear to ear.

"The back?" Belinda piped up. Bao and Raine seemed surprised.

"Why is she with you?" Bao shrieked.

"Well, those of us with working vehicles enjoy giving rides to people, hence the reason I'm giving you one. That, and I'm nice. Get in." Noah glared at Raine. "And be quiet, the lot of you."

"Um… like, okay." Raine nodded. After a few minutes, she piped up "Do I here the show music?"

"It's my ringtone." Noah sighed. "Who's calling?"

"Leah again." Belinda said, looking at the phone.

"Put her on speaker phone." Noah shrugged. Belinda did so, holding the phone towards Noah.

"Hey hu… Noah." Leah's voice came through the phone.

"Hey Leah. For your information, you're on speakerphone." Noah spoke towards the voice.

"Oh, okay. Thanks. Did you get Raine and Bao yet?"

"We're right here!" Bao called from the back seat.

"Okay then. I bought you guys an extra 15 minutes with Mr. J. See you all at dinner." Leah affirmed. "Belinda, do you know where Lily and Jason are."

Raine giggled. "I have a hunch!"

Belinda turned beet red. "I… I have no idea. I'll text her."

"Thank you." Leah sighed before hanging up.

"A hunch, Raine?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, like we're all thinking it." Bao smirked. "Belinda, be prepared for a super mellow captain."

"You shut the hell up!" Belinda screeched.

"Make us!" Raine yelled back.

"Guys, you are in this car at my mercy. Do you feel like walking back to the school?" Noah asked with a straight voice.

"No, like why would we want to?" Bao giggled.

"In that case, quit talking about my best friend like that." Noah deadpanned.

"But, like, you were talking shit about her earlier today." Raine said, confused.

"We made up. That's what you do when you've known somebody since you were a single-celled organism." Noah explained.

"A what?" Bao and Raine asked simultaneously. Belinda groaned in frustration.

**save me! **She texted to Lily.

**SAVE U FROM WUT?**

**evil evil woodwinds. raine n bao broke down on the side of the rode.**

**N NOAHS PLAYING TAXI?**

**leahs making him. she wants 2 no where u r.**

**UM. IN THE PARKING LOT TALKING.**

**talking or "talking"?**

**TALKING N WAITIN ON U.**

Belinda suppressed a giggle. **ok. wut shud I tell leah?**

**UM. WE HAD 2 GET GAS.**

**sounds like a plan luv.**

**ILY BELI.**

"Serves you right." Belinda said aloud. "Lily and Jason are getting gas."

"That was a lot of texting for one question." Raine observed.

"Because I was talking to her! I'm not rude, after all." Belinda glared. "Sheesh. Can we step on it, Noah?"

"I'd be glad to." Noah grumbled, praying for anything to get the car to the school sooner as Belinda called Leah to inform her of Lily's location.

**_Leah got my favorite line this chapter. "This is precisely Leah..." I'm a genius! Hahahaha just kidding. I'm not quite THAT egotistical. Well... hopefully I'll update more often in the next two to three months and actually get this done... Wish me luck!_**


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